Calendar

Gifted and Talented Education

A Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program is offered to students in Years 7-10 who are identified as ‘academically gifted’.

Testing takes place on Orientation Day in Year 6 and at the end of Year 7. The top 10% of the cohort attend weekly small group sessions with Mrs Tanya Atherton, Head of Gifted and Talented.

Mrs Atherton is a past recipient of the National Excellence in Teaching Award (NEITA). She was previously the Western Australian Director of Tournament of Minds and the Catholic Education Exemplary Educator who coordinated the Secondary Gifted and Talented Network. She currently coordinates the Perth Round of the World Scholar’s Cup and was awarded Coach of the Year in 2019 and Coach of the Decade in 2025.

Topics and Programs

Architecture (Year 7)

Year 7s study architectural plans and have an incursion from Parry & Rosenthal, the architects who designed the College's Koort Centre (gymnasium) and Maar Technologies Centre. They also tour the Perth CBD and learn about historical and modern building styles.

First Nations' history of Rottnest Island (Year 7)

Year 7s spend a night at Rottnest Island to learn about the maritime, military and colonial history of the island.

Energy Club of WA (Year 8)

Year 8s learn about energy and the many resources WA has in this space. The highlight is an excursion to ERGT's facilities, where students can view the many safety simulations they offer, including underwater rescue survival training.

FameLab (Year 8)

Run as an in-class competition, Year 8 GATE students are challenged to research, write and present a short speech on a specific topic of STEM. The speech must combine The Arts with Science by explaining a science concept without jargon. The top students present their speeches to students, families and judges on the Finale night.

Documentary Marking (Year 8)

Year 8 students explore the art of documentary-making by first studying the genre and then creating their own. To help inspire and capture content for their projects, they spend one night sleeping in the underwater tunnel at The Aquarium of WA (AQWA) and another at Perth Zoo - unique experiences that bring their learning to life.

Just Start IT (Year 9)

Year 9 GATE students are involved in Just Start IT, a state wide competition that encourages students to design their own start-up businesses. Inspired by Shark Tank, the top teams present their solutions to a panel of judges at the State Finals and have the chance to win money to help bring their ideas to life.

Sociology (Year 9)

Year 9 GATE students learn about how people and society work. They focus on the different personality types (well-adjusted, reserved, inhibited, under-controlled and confident). A highlight is an analysis of the documentary '7 Up!' where subjects are interviewed every 7 years (starting from the age of 7), giving students the opportunity to observe how their personalities, habits, values, interests and more develop.

Criminology (Year 10)

Year 10 GATE students complete their GATE journey by studying criminology. They hear from forensic investigators, come up with solutions to cold cases and tour Fremantle Prison.

GATE students can also get involved in the many activities from the Academic Pillar, including World Scholar's Cup, the da Vinci Decathlon, Tournament of Minds and Ethics Olympiad.

From studying plans to looking at the marvellous and beautiful architecture of Perth City, our Architecture unit was one of the most interesting experiences I have had at school and I would do it all over again.

Gabriella

Year 7, 2024

Just Start IT has been an amazing opportunity for us to turn our business ideas into reality. It pushed us to think like real business owners and showed us how taking our ideas seriously can lead to great results. We were well supported by a variety of mentors who were always there to help us and offer valuable advice.

Paul

Year 9, 2024

Criminology has always been a topic of interest for me and the course we took this year only served to heighten that interest. The program was both educational and intriguing, serving as an engaging lesson that I'm sure all students look forward to.

Oliver

Year 10, 2024