91ÊÓƵ

Entry into the Gifted and Talented Enrichment (GATE) program at 91ÊÓƵ is entirely through the external ASET test delivered through the Department of Education. ÌýParents must register their child to sit this test at the beginning of each year. The selection process starts when students are in Year 5, testing in Year 6, with placement starting from Year 7. Limited vacancies may also be available for entry into Years 9, 10 and 11. More information is available on the .

At 91ÊÓƵ 64 places (two classes) are available in each incoming Year 7 cohort in the Gifted and Talented program. Placement is not managed at the school level. There is no fixed score that guarantees an offer into the program at Shenton, the 64 places are offered based on ranked score and preference. A thorough explanation of this process is given by the Gifted and Talented office at their parent presentations each year, and parents can find out more about scores and offers of placement on the .

The College allocates places for two classes of students in the HPL program in each incoming Year 7 cohort. The initial step is to enrol at the College by the deadline early in Term 3 each year. Students are only eligible to apply for the HPL if they are enrolled as residents in our local intake area.

Once local area enrolment has been confirmed, parents are invited to apply for a place in HPL in Term 3, with specific dates and details of this process and requirements (eg. application documents and deadlines) communicated each year in Term 3. Please note that from 2026, no additional HPL testing is conducted by the College.

The GATE program is externally populated and externally funded; this means that places are allocated by the Department of Education Gifted and Talented Selection Unit. Students are funded to follow a differentiated program in the subjects of Maths, English, Science and HASS (Humanities and Social Sciences).

The HPL program is a school-based program for which local-area intake rules apply. Entry is via an internal selection process after enrolment as local-area residents. The HPL program is not externally funded. The HPL cohorts follow a differentiated learning program across all four subjects: Maths, English, Science and HASS.

In both the GATE and HPL programs students are placed in selective classes for these 4 subjects, which comprise about two thirds of their school hours. Additionally, they will undertake studies in classes with other students in their year group for subjects such as Health and Physical Education, the Arts, Technologies and Languages. In the HPL students remain as a discrete cohort in Years 7-9, selecting from streamed courses for Maths, English, Science and the Humanities in Year 10. In the Gifted and Talented program, students remain as a discrete cohort until Year 10.

Both the GATE and HPL cohorts follow a differentiated teaching and learning program with a focus on developing Critical and Creative Thinking and Personal and Social Capability. This approach incorporates a combination of acceleration, compaction, extension and enrichment. Whilst many activities, both within and beyond the classroom, are common to the HPL and GATE cohorts, teachers’ first priority is to respond to the needs of the students in each class each year. Teachers select from a range of best-fit approaches for the students in their class with support from our Academic Programs Coordinators across the school.

In Years 11 and 12 all students pursue chosen subjects/courses whereas in Years 7-10 students follow compulsory curriculum with some choices available. At Shenton all students, including those coming from HPL and GATE, choose from among the diverse suite of subjects available. This means that, for example, students who have a particular passion or talent for a given Learning Area can select multiple specialty subjects from that Learning Area. Students can also select some ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank) subjects and some General or Certificate courses. Whilst there are no discrete HPL and GATE classes in Years 11 and 12, students join specialist classes in Years 11 and 12 with other students who have a similar academic interest and aspiration in the subject.Ìý More information about Curriculum in WA can be found on the .

Academic stretch opportunities in Years 11 and 12, like in Years 7-10, occur both within and beyond the classroom. As students specialise and focus on their preferred subjects, some opportunities are more specific to each subject discipline. Students continue to test their strengths and enrich their learning in local, national and international challenges. For some students, acceleration through combining Secondary and Tertiary education courses is the best fit, and our partnerships with local universities enable this. Some Senior students have a very clear idea of a preferred learning pathway, whereas others benefit from choosing a breadth of courses and co-curricular activities available at the College.

Each Middle School community includes one or more classes that are either GATE or HPL, either Year 7 or Year 8: there is no wholly GATE/HPL community. This is deliberate and important, both philosophically and practically. The students in our GATE and HPL programs are Shenton students and while they develop a sense of belonging to their peers in GATE or HPL, they form connections with their peers in their Community, their Year Group, their sporting teams, their ensembles and the clubs they join.

Central to the identity and practice at Shenton is inclusion – this means we recognise that each child has their own story, their own interests and their own aspirations. Students with extension/enrichment needs in a given subject can access activities that engage and challenge them both in the classroom and through co-curricular activities. Our teachers know that every class includes students who have high academic enrichment needs, and they support them to broaden and extend their learning through a diverse range of engaging activities and experiences. Beyond the classroom, students with academic aspirations across the different subject areas can opt in for competitions, enrichment activities and team challenges.

Students in the program follow a differentiated program designed to extend an enrich learning in Maths, English, Science and HASS. ÌýStudents undertake their learning in Health and Physical Education, Languages, the Arts, and Technologies with other students from the College.

Movement out of either program is rare and limited. It is normal that students in the Academic Programs, just like students in all classes, will have preferences for certain subjects, and greater interest and talent in some subjects over others. Students in the GATE and HPL programs must be supported to take risks with their learning and find their strengths by reaching beyond their comfort zone – results mustn’t hinder aspirational learning goals. For this reason, a balanced and informed understanding of student performance and underperformance is needed.

Sustained, significant and unexplained underperformance might prompt teacher, parent and student to consider what’s working well and what might be hindering learning in a subject or subjects. Rather than movement out of an academic program, parents and students are linked with supports within the College as a first step.

Like their counterparts outside the Academic Programs, students in the HPL and GATE classes can access Student Support at Shenton which includes Learning Skills Advisors, Student Support Officers, School Psychologists, Year Leaders and Chaplains.

Identified learning disabilities or difficulties are welcomed and cared for in both programs, accessing a range of supports in the College. Students and parents may connect with assistance available in the school including Learning Skills Advisors, and a CARE (Curriculum Access and Resource Equity) Coordinator, who meet with students and parents to develop the Individual Education Support Plans that help teachers understand how best to support students’ learning and wellbeing.

Many students who have academic aspirations are highly motivated by test results and achievement data, sometimes contributing to stress and sometimes contributing to healthy motivation. Our teachers recognise that within our GATE and HPL classes there might be a greater interest or focus on results, and that a balanced focus on learning and process is an important message for students. Teachers use a range of strategies to promote a healthy and balanced reflection on learning outcomes. If a student’s focus on results is hindering learning, we have many supports available within the school and work with parents and students to develop bespoke strategies for support.

In short, no. The GATE and HPL programs are four-subject programs designed specifically for students with giftedness as a best practice response to building on their multi-potentiality and serving their skill-development needs as a cohort. Teachers work with students to help them develop their strengths across these subjects, which can include helping them to leverage their excellence in one subject area and find skills-matches in the area they find most challenging. The focus on transferable critical and creative thinking skills helps students enhance their approach to all four subjects.

All placements into the Gifted and Talented program are managed externally through the Gifted and Talented office. Some places may become available for students in the older years, and more information about the process for students to enter in Years 9, 10 or 11 only is available on the .

Movement into the HPL is rare and limited. In the event that a vacancy exists in the HPL, a place may be offered in Year 8 or 9 at the Principal’s discretion, by invitation on the basis of top achievement across all subjects and school-based factors such as timing for unit completion.