Acceleration at Hurlstone

At Hurlstone Agricultural High School, acceleration is not an add-on or an exception. It is a deliberate, school-wide strategy designed to ensure every high-potential learner is challenged at the level they are ready for. From 2026, all Year 10 students at Hurlstone accelerate in one Stage 6 course, reflecting our belief that intellectual stretch, when carefully designed and expertly supported, leads to stronger outcomes in the Higher School Certificate (HSC) and beyond.

Our approach to acceleration is evidence-based and intentionally structured. Course selection is guided by a rigorous combination of student performance and engagement data, professional teacher judgement, and informed by student and family voice. This ensures acceleration is not simply about moving faster, but about placing each student in the right course, at the right time, for the right reasons. The result is a personalised pathway that balances ambition with readiness, and challenge with sustained success.

By accelerating into Stage 6 content earlier, students gain additional time to consolidate learning, refine study habits, and perform at their best in Year 12. They develop the academic maturity, resilience, and depth of understanding expected in senior studies.

Hurlstone’s Acceleration Program reflects our commitment to high expectations, disciplined academic design, and equitable access to opportunity. It is a defining feature of our curriculum and one that prepares students not only to succeed in the HSC, but to compete confidently at the highest levels of tertiary study and future careers.

Background and Context

Acceleration is a well-established, evidence-based strategy for extending High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) learners when it is carefully designed and professionally supported. Engaging with Stage 6 content earlier enables students to experience sustained intellectual challenge, deepen conceptual understanding, and demonstrate higher levels of academic achievement over time. Importantly, acceleration also provides students with greater time across senior study, allowing them to approach the HSC with confidence, maturity, and a strategically balanced academic load.

Hurlstone Agricultural High School enters 2026 with proven experience in accelerated learning. Over the past three years, the school has successfully delivered an accelerated Hospitality pathway, where Year 10 students consistently thrived under senior-level expectations. These cohorts achieved exceptional results, validating the impact of acceleration when paired with explicit teaching, school-wide structures, and targeted academic support.

Our demonstrated success underpins the expansion of acceleration to the full Year 10 cohort. It reflects Hurlstone’s belief that excellence is the product of deliberate practices and the result of high expectations, disciplined curriculum design, and pathways that are matched deliberately to student readiness and potential. Acceleration at Hurlstone is therefore not about doing more sooner. It is about doing the right work, at the right time, to the highest standard.

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How Students Are Matched to Their Accelerated Course

A Deliberate, Evidence-Based, and Student-Centred Process

At Hurlstone Agricultural High School, acceleration is underpinned by a deliberate, multi-stage allocation process designed to ensure every Year 10 student is placed in the Stage 6 course where they are most likely to thrive. The process is led by the Deputy Principal for Year 9 and integrates student voice, analysis of performance and engagement data, student and family voice, and expert professional judgement to support high achievement and sustained success.

This approach reflects best practice across high-performing selective and independent schools and ensures that acceleration is both academically rigorous and individually appropriate.

Below is the process we used for 2026.

1. Early Awareness: Year 8 Subject Selection Evening
Students and parents are introduced to the acceleration pathway during the Year 8 subject selection evening. The purpose, structure, and expectations of Stage 6 acceleration are clearly outlined, providing families with early insight into academic pathways and long-term planning.
2. Term 1, Year 9: Detailed Information Session and Q&A
In Term 1 of Year 9, students and parents participate in a comprehensive information session that unpacks the acceleration model in greater depth. This includes course expectations, workload considerations, and indicators of readiness, followed by an extended Q&A to ensure clarity and confidence.
3. Term 1: Initial Stage 6 Preference Submission
Toward the end of Term 1, students submit a priority-ordered list of preferences from the full range of Stage 6 courses offered at Hurlstone. This data, alongside student performance and engagement profiles, forms the basis of the initial analysis and shortlisting phase.
4. Term 2: Course Shortlisting and Second Selection Round
Throughout Term 2, the Deputy Principal and curriculum leaders analyse preference data and academic evidence to identify a refined suite of 8–9 accelerated courses that will enable broad participation and high levels of student success.
Later in the term, families attend a second information session outlining the shortlisted courses, the rationale for their selection, and the next steps in the process. Students then submit three preferred courses in priority order.
5. Term 3: Alignment Review and Individualised Support
In Term 3, second-round preferences are reviewed against comprehensive performance and engagement data.
Where a student’s preferences do not align with demonstrated readiness, individualised support conversations are held with students and families to ensure the final allocation maximises the likelihood of success.
Where course demand exceeds capacity, performance and engagement data are used to guide equitable placement into second or third preferences. For highly competitive courses, a panel comprising internal and external curriculum leaders conducts an evidence-based review to ensure decisions are fair, transparent, and academically sound.
6. Terms 3–4: Course Confirmation and Success Planning
Across Terms 3 and 4, every student engages in a one-to-one meeting with the Deputy Principal to confirm their accelerated course placement, clarify expectations, and establish a personalised plan for success in Year 10.
7. Term 4: Step Up to Acceleration: Preparing Students for Senior-Level Success

Prior to commencing their accelerated Stage 6 course, students participate in a three-day “Step Up to Acceleration” program, designed to bridge the transition into senior study and set clear expectations for performance, integrity, and independent learning. This is our capstone program for academic support for high potential and gifted learners.

This program includes:

  • An Ethical and Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence course, ensuring students understand appropriate, transparent, and academically sound use of emerging technologies
  • Completion of the All My Own Work program, reinforcing expectations around plagiarism, malpractice, and academic integrity
  • A Step Up to Senior School program focused on effective study habits, time management, and readiness for Stage 6 assessment demands
  • An Acceleration Readiness Self-Reflection and Preparation Plan, enabling students to identify challenges, set goals, and plan proactively for success
  • A personalised Talent Development Plan, identifying individual strengths and targeted areas for improvement
  • Sample and model lessons from the student’s accelerated course, providing early exposure to Stage 6 curriculum requirements, assessment expectations, and teaching approaches

This final stage ensures students do not simply enter acceleration but enter it prepared, informed, and positioned to succeed.

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Accelerated Courses 2026

In 2026, students in Year 10 will accelerate in one of the following courses:

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