Challenging
Our gifted students (top 10%) are provided with additional challenge
Our aim is to cater for every student within a classroom, even when this can be difficult in subject areas where there is a wide range of abilities. In these instances, classrooms are streamed to provide a learning environment that is more tailored to students’ abilities and needs.
Mathematics classes are fully streamed (Years 3 to 6) and partially streamed (Year 7). This allows teachers to design programs which assess the learning that a student is ready for, and provide the learning experiences to support their progress.
Philosophy in the Preparatory School is an extension option for Pre-Primary to Year 4 students. It encourages boys to reflect upon a topic or concept, to question and challenge ideas and importantly persevere in their quest to answer a philosophical inquiry. It teaches boys to be a part of collaborative community of inquiry – to think, to justify their thoughts, to be flexible in making conclusions and learn the etiquette of good conversations
In Years 5 and 6, boys are selected for Future Problem Solving (FPS), a program for students of high analytical ability, involving boys working together to design creative solutions for problems on a global scale.
In Years 8 to 10, extension classes are implemented in English, Mathematics, Science and Humanities. A range of subjective and objective measures are used in selecting students for these classes. Extension classes follow a modified teaching, learning program and assessment program. The focus is to use a combination of specific curriculum and teaching techniques which allow students to learn content that can be several years higher in terms of difficulty, but is also more complex and abstract in nature.
Throughout our extension classes across all year groups, the purpose is to cover core content and extend higher order understandings through wide-ranging exploration of topics of interest. The aim is to increase rigor rather than pressure.
In addition to the large range of open-entry co-curricular options, there are also selective co-curricular options available for students with gifts or talents. These include, but are not limited to:
- Competitions such as the Da Vinci Decathlon, Have Sum Fun, Maths and Informatics Olympiads.
- The Enigma Program. This is a co-curricular program in our Senior School that primarily involves boys of high intellectual ability in Years 7 to 9. It involves boys working together on projects in areas of mutual interest and aims to develop students’ ability to be flexible, take intellectual risks and show curiosity. Older boys in Years 10 to 12 act as mentors and support the younger students.