How to Apply for Placement in the Class:
If you would like your child to be considered for participation in the Opportunity Class you will need to submit an application. The student will then need to sit the Opportinity Class Placement Test (Refer to the information booklet below or the DoE website above for more details and dates).
The application process is completed online. Use the button below to go to the online application portal.
Note: When completing the application you must not use the child’s email address.
For more detailed information about the application process and what an opportunity class is. View the current information booklet.
Testimonial
"The OC class at CVPS was an immensely positive experience for my son and is already proving the same for my daughter who entered the program this year. My daughter comes home every day excited about the new things she’s learnt including complex learning strategies and writing techniques. More important than the academic extension though, the specialised teaching approach addresses the barriers that can prevent talented students from reaching their full potential. Before entering the OC class my son would avoid new activities for fear of failure or embarrassment and my daughter was easily frustrated and would give up on a task if it proved challenging. In the OC class at CVPS my son learnt (and my daughter is already learning) to embrace new challenges instead of fearing the unknown; to focus on improvement rather than results as a measure of success; and to see mistakes not as failures, but as part of the process of acquiring skill and knowledge. This experience has transformed my son’s emotional intelligence, resilience and self-confidence, and I’m excited to watch my daughter’s growth over the next 18 months!"
Cheryl, Parent of OC students in 2021-2022 and 2024 - 2025.
What are opportunity classes?
Opportunity classes are offered in primary school from Years 5 to 6. Parents/carers apply when their child is in Year 4.
You can include up to 2 school choices when you are applying for an opportunity class.
What is selective education?
Selective education is one of the ways that the department supports students with high academic potential. Selective education includes selective high schools and opportunity classes.
Selective education has many benefits, including:
· Students learn alongside, and form friendships with, other high potential and gifted classmates.
· Special teaching methods allow students to learn at a quicker pace and in more detail.
· Research shows that students benefit both academically and socially when learning with classmates who have similar abilities.
Opportunity classes and selective high schools are not zoned so you can apply to ones outside your catchment area.
Use the following maps to find your closest:
· opportunity classes
· selective high schools.
What makes the OC different to previous learning experience?
"The challenge of learning something new every day and being encouraged to accept that being wrong means we are learning. We are learning at a much faster pace and we are challenged in everything. We have loved learning new Maths strategies, or molecules in Science with peers that learn as fast as us." Billie and Kai - Year 6 2024
Is selective education the right fit for my child?
High potential and gifted students can be found across diverse family, socio-economic, language, cultural backgrounds and geographic locations.
Your child may have high academic potential if they demonstrate some of the following:
· enjoy learning
· have intense curiosity
· display a good memory
· ask complex questions
· enjoy learning new and often complex ideas or skills
· require fewer repetitions when learning new things
· are creative
· become intensely focused in their area/s of interest.
Note: Not all high potential and gifted students will display all of these characteristics, for example, due to disability, disadvantage or lack of opportunity.
Learn more about the department’s High Potential and Gifted Education Policy.
If you require more information or are looking to discuss whether your child should apply, please contact the school office and book an appointment with our current OC teacher, Mr Fifield.
What are selective high schools?
Selective high schools are offered in high school from Years 7 to 12. Parents/carers apply when their child is in Year 5. There are four types of selective high schools:
· fully selective high schools (where all students attending the school have high potential or are gifted)
· partially selective high schools (where a school has a specialist stream for high potential and gifted students within a comprehensive high school)
· selective agricultural high schools (day or boarding schools that emphasise the study of agriculture)
· Aurora College (a virtual selective high school – students attend a local host school and complete their English, mathematics and science lessons online with their Aurora classmates).
You can include up to 3 school choices when you are applying for a selective high school.
How are students placed in an opportunity class or selective high school?
Places are offered to students based on their performance on the free placement test.
Research has shown that some groups of high potential and intellectually gifted students experience barriers to entry into opportunity classes. The Equity Placement Model is designed to make entry fairer for these students by holding a percentage of places for high potential and gifted students:
· from low socio educational advantage backgrounds
· who are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
· from rural and remote areas
· with disability.
Cudgeong Valley Public School Opportunity Class.
How does teaching and learning differ in the OC compared to mainstream classes?
Students in the OC at CVPS have faster acquisition of new information and as a result, require less repetition, and more in depth dives into curriculum content. The learning opportunities are driven by formative assessment to gauge entry points of students and learning sequences are devised to meet the needs of high potential and gifted learners.
The class motto is "making mistakes means we are learning" as every student is challenged at their point of need and it takes courage to embrace new learning challenges.
Differentiation is a deliberate adjustment to meet the specific learning needs of high potential and gifted students, and is used regularly in the OC setting. Adjustments made are:
- content (what is being taught)
- the learning process (how the instruction is delivered)
- product (the evidence of student learning)
- the learning environment.
Does your OC teacher have qualifications or training specific to high potential and gifted education?
Teaching HPG students is a challenging and rewarding position, and requires regular training as stated by the HPGE policy (2018). Mr Fifield is in his 4th year of teaching the OC class at Cudgegong Valley Public School. He began his training in HPGE in 2016, being actively involved in professional learning and completing the School Leaders HPGE training in 2020. He has completed the Mini Certificate of Gifted Education at the University of New South Wales and currently leads the HPGE team at CVPS. He is a current member of the Rural and Remote OC network and has previously been part of the steering committee (2021-2022) where he assisted in coordinating and facilitating professional learning for colleagues. He has also led whole school professional learning around catering for the needs of High Potential and Gifted students.
CVPS OC class was involved in a pan-Mudgee Film project with Project Zone as funded by the NSW Department of Environment and Heritage. The project was designed to assist students to learn from their forebears, and re-interpret the history of Mudgee by analysing where the community has come from, to where it is now. The OC class of 2022 also delved deep into the intracies of film making, script writing and acting with purpose. The project was completed with the assistance of Paul Stafford and Vince Lovecchio.
