Opportunity Class

Certain schools across NSW offer  opportunity classes  for high-achieving, academically-gifted students in Years 5 and 6. To be considered for enrolment, students must sit the  opportunity class placement  test in Year 4.  Learn more here.

The Dural Public School Opportunity Class

“Opportunity Class” placement provides intellectual stimulation and an educationally enriched environment for academically gifted children in Years 5 and 6.

The program at Dural Public School has been carefully developed by dedicated teachers to provide a stimulating curriculum which emphasises academic rigour whilst nurturing the gifted child's overall social and emotional development.

Our OC program provides a planned curriculum that matches the ability of gifted students to:

1. Learn a faster rates gifted learners understand new concepts easily with fewer repetitions. This means that they will progress through the curriculum at an accelerated pace of instruction to ensure learning is continuous and that they are being stimulated.
2. Find, solve and act on problems more readily. We focus heavily on creative thinking, divergent thinking and critical thinking as these skills are important for today's problem solvers.
3. Manipulate abstract ideas and make connections to an advanced degree. Gifted learners understand concepts, abstractions and ideas beyond what would normally be expected at their age level. Therefore our programs are concept based and include complex, abstract ideas so that interests and abilities are challenged and extended.
4. Gifted learners benefit when they work with gifted peers. One of the best advantages of the OC class is that the children get to work with children of similar abilities; they bounce ideas off children who are like minded and have similar interests. The discussions and debates in an OC class are amazing to listen to. The friendships formed are strong and mature. The children bond well and have a respect for each other and the other benefit is that they spend two years together, which strengthens the bond.

We use a variety of teaching and learning strategies to cater for such learning styles, including:

• using pre-assessment to compact the curriculum for students who have already mastered the core: then focus on accelerated progression in all key learning areas.

• extension activities that deepen students' knowledge, understanding and skills. enrichment activities that broaden the curriculum to develop knowledge and skills to a greater complexity.

• contract work, with students negotiating the components of the contract.

• open-ended questions, activities and assignments. hypothesis testing and problem solving.

• individual research and investigation, where students learn how to develop and manage their independent learning skills.

• opportunities for peer assessment.

• using graphic organisers as an instructional tool.

• group tasks and creative thinking sessions that allow like-minded students to discuss and bounce ideas off each other.

• Thinking tasks include Tony Ryan's 'Thinker Keys', Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats and Divergent Thinking.

• Many competitions that provide opportunities to think, create and shine.

Programs in the Dural Public OC

• PBL:  Project Based Learning and Critical & Creative Thinking (CCT) CCT is part of the everyday routine with 10 minutes crunches and a PBL task is part of each term’s plan connected to the history, geography or science unit.

• Tournament of the Minds:  is a problem solving program for teams of students. They are required to solve demanding, open-ended challenges from one of the following disciplines: Applied Technology, Language Literature, Maths Engineering, the Arts and the Social Sciences.
• Pecha Kucha:  is a speech methodology in which students present a 20 slide PowerPoint on a theme and each slide automatically changes after 20 seconds and the students present a speech to go along slide the PowerPoint.
• Australasian Problem Solving Mathematical Olympiads:  a very challenging mathematical problem solving competition that consists of 4 tournaments held throughout the year.
• Debating:  opportunities to participate in the Premier's Debating Challenge.
• Maths Cup:  A whole day group based tournament based on Maths held at Amity College. The competition includes over 300 students, in 2016, 2019 and 2024 Dural PS won the cup!
• Premier's Challenges:  as well as the Premier's Debating challenge, the students will participate in the Premier's Spelling Bee and also be encouraged to participate in the Premier's Reading Challenge.
• Public Speaking:  all OC students will write speeches for The Hills Public Speaking Competition and it’s always hosted here at Dural PS.
• Scope IT:  a technology course/program that includes coding, web design, software design and 3D printing. Additionally, each year the students participate in a Tech Tournament to apply their learning.
• Interschool Chess:  The Chess Club meets at lunchtime to enjoy friendly games and also to practice for the NSW Junior Chess League competition which runs during Term 2 and in to Term 3.
• Environmental Group:  this group is open to students who wish to be concerned with environmental issues. The group has taken part in a tree planting program, composting, worm farms and paper recycling.
• Annual OC competition:  every year there is an interschool OC competition that changes every two years in task (science fairs, inventors conventions, poetry slams, The Gifted Games etc), it is organised and hosted by Dural PS each year.

Music and Dance Opportunities in OC

A variety of music programs are offered including:

• Senior Choir:  Students meet for the choir at lunchtimes at school. The students have been to the Primary School Concerts at the Opera House and The Primary Proms at the Sydney Town Hall. They have also competed successfully at many Dural Eisteddfods.
• The Band Program:  The Beginner Band: This is open to all students who are just beginning with an instrument. It provides an opportunity for the students to enjoy music together.
• The Senior Concert Band:  This is the band for the more experienced musicians. The band has been successful at the Band Eisteddfods, placing first in 2025's competition.
• The String Ensemble:  a String ensemble is formed under the guidance of Mrs Di Bona. They participate in the orchestral concerts organised by the Arts unit.
• Recorder Group:  A recorder teacher comes into the Year 6 OC class once a week to teach recorder. The Year 6 class then is given the opportunity to play 3 pieces of music at The Instrumental Concert at the Sydney Opera House. The Dural School Band Committee provide these wonderful opportunities for the children. They offer instrument hire and the students can take advantage of tutors that come to the school before 9:30 during the week. This is a paying arrangement.
• Dance Programs:  The Senior Dance group consists of Year 5 and 6 students.
• ICT Resources:  The Year 5 class is equipped with a touchscreen interactive board, 15 laptops and 5 ipads. The Year 6 class is equipped with a touchscreen interactive board, 20 Lenovo Laptops/tablets and an ipad. There is also a podcast studio in the 6OC computer room. The Library is equipped with a touchscreen interactive board and 30 PC’s for use in weekly lessons. There is another computer lab with 30 laptops for class use. Every week in Terms 2 and 3 the students participate in a Scope IT lesson using MacBook Air. Digital cameras and videos are available for daily use.

Sporting and Creative Opportunities in the Dural OC

There are endless sporting opportunities provided for our students, they involve:

• PSSA and Knock-out Competitions:  Each year Dural Public School enters teams into the PSSA and Knock Out competitions. Teams entered in the competition are: softball, cricket, soccer, tennis, touch football, OZ TAG and netball.
• Carnivals:  Annually Dural conducts three sporting carnivals in swimming, athletics and cross country. Trophies and medals are awarded to each age champion and runner up.
• Variety of Sporting Activities:  Each term a variety of sporting activities include: Squash, Sport-in-Schools, Gymnastics programs, Dance and Fundamental movement skills.
• Beecroft Representation:  opportunities to represent Beecroft and Sydney North in a variety of sports and carnivals.
• Specialist Art Teacher:  Our OC students also participate in lessons with Dural Public School's Specialist Art teacher: Miss Candutti. They get the opportunity to be creative with all forms of Visual Arts such as painting, drawing, ceramics, printing and sculpture in a permanently set up and well resourced art room.

Excursions and Camps

• Sport and recreation camp:  Point Wolstoncroft (Lake Macquarie) Happy integration of all students is our priority. During Term 1, Year 5, a 5 day camp is held at Point Wolstoncroft Sport and Recreation Facility to encourage the development of friendship and to help everyone feel at home and welcome in their new school. Aquatic activities like canoeing, fishing, sailing and swimming form a major part of the Point Wolstoncroft experience. And the diversity of the magnificent environment provides ample opportunities to explore, touch, experience, and learn about the natural world.
• Bathurst:  During Term 3, Year 5, a 1 day excursion to Bathurst is planned to enrich our unit on ‘Gold’. The students get to experience gold panning, build mud brick houses, tour the Bathurst goldfields: the indoor museum, mine, steam shed, blacksmithing demonstrations, retorting, operating water wheel, Chinese Protectorate and more.
• Canberra/Thredbo:  Year 6 experience all Canberra and Thredbo has to offer, complementing the unit on 'Government and Democracy'. This is a 4 day camp that is always a highlight for the final year of Primary School.

A Day in the Life of an OC Student

Click to see a video created by Dural OC students called  A Day in the Life of an OC Student which has been represented by the  NSW Government  on their website.