GIFTED & TALENTED

About the Program

The Gifted and Talented Selective Entrance Program offered at Melville Senior High School is an academic program where the selected students study Mathematics, Science, Humanities and English together as a unified group from Years 7-10. This model has proven to be successful in cultivating a culture of genuine teamwork, peer support, high-level motivation and encouragement among Melville SHS’s Gifted and Talented students.

In Years 11 and 12 Melville Senior High School’s Gifted and Talented students join mainstream classes due to the range of subject selection options offered to students. However, students continue to be supported by staff and peers through such programs through after-school tutoring and engagement with an array of university experiences.

At Melville Senior High School, our Gifted and Talented Education Team understand the need to challenge students and are always looking for innovative ways to engage the gifted learner. A team approach is adopted in order to support your child’s learning requirements. Through dialogues with parents and professional colleagues, alternate pathways are sought and developed for the individual’s needs, and can consist of a combination of academic and practical pathways. This collaborative approach is used to offer challenging and engaging learning opportunities, including differential extension programs for individuals within the class, as deemed necessary.

Applications for 2022 are now Open

Information on the Gifted and Talented
Program for 2022 intake is HERE

Key Dates and Guidelines

Key dates and guidelines
for the 2022intake are HERE

Expressions of Interest for Year 7 in 2022

Expressions of Interest for the Department of Education’s Gifted and Talented Secondary Selective Entrance Program 2022 are now open. Please click here to register your interest.

Programs are in the areas of Academic, Arts and Languages and are offered at select public secondary schools. Demand for these programs is strong and entry is competitive. All placements will be made on the basis of individual performance in program-specific testing and assessments, including the Academic Selective Entrance Test. Testing will take place when your child is in Year 6.

Further information on schools and programs, application guidelines and key dates and timelines are available at the Gifted and Talented website.

It is important to note that successful applicants are able to attend their school of choice, even though they may not live in that school’s local intake area.

Parent Information

In choosing Melville Senior High School’s Gifted and Talented Selective Academic Program for your child, you will be joining a school community that is committed to ensuring your son or daughter is on a pathway to success at secondary school and beyond.

Top Up Testing

Students applying for Top Up Testing for other years (entering Years 9, 10 and 11) are required to be in the year level prior to the year level for which they are applying when they sit the Academic Selective Entrance Test. For example, a child in Year 8 can only sit the testing for entry to Year 9. Information is in the link above under Places for Year 9, 10 and 11 on the left.

For further information, contact the Gifted and Talented Program Coordinator on 6274 1300.

Gifted Examples

Students in the Gifted & Talented Program are always being extended in their studies, leading to a very high standard of word produced. There has been a recent push in developing the Gifted & Talented student voice and as such, the students are regularly writing news articles about what they have been doing in their classes. These articles can be viewed on the News section of the website here under the titles ‘A Talented Bulletin’.

Information on Past Graduates

Melville Senior High school achieved outstanding academic success with our Year 12 graduating class, both at the individual student level and as a cohort. The following is a snapshot of achievements:

STEM Slant and Medicine Bound

Melville recently received the Governor’s School STEM Award and proof of the outcomes are very prevalent in the subject choices of many of the school’s graduates in 2019. Australia’s future depends on students taking on the technologies of the future and the following students are going to now enthusiastically embrace STEM in their University careers. Melville SHS was in the top performing schools in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematical Methods because it had the highest performing students in these ATAR courses.

Two of the schools Gifted and Talented Students have been offered places in Medicine at UWA. Aden Lukan with an ATAR of 99.5 and Nipun Ratnayake are now among nine students from the school to gain entry into Medicine in the last five years.

Dux of 2019, Amir Aminy (99.10) was the top Chemistry and Physics student and is having a gap year in 2020. He hopes to start Medicine in 2021.

Cameron Brown is extremely passionate and talented when it comes to Mathematics and is going to study a double degree in Data Science and Mathematics and Statistics at UWA.

G&T students, Abhinav Saini and Joshua Hounslow are going to be involved with a STEM degree of the future in Mechatronic Engineering at Curtin University. They both made the most of his time at Melville by also being immersed in the Music in Focus Program and played trumpet in the Swing Band.

Linh Nguyen is off to study at the prestigious Melbourne University. She will study a Bachelor of Science before specialising. Jason Song (99.1) will also be studying at Melbourne University and will study a B. Commerce.

STEM Inspires Scientific Pursuits

Melville SHS has been inspiring students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects since the 2018 Leavers started in Year 7. This inspiration has led many top achievers going into associated degrees.

2018 Dux, Jessie Wang received an ATAR of 99.90 and has been accepted into the coveted B. Phil (Computer Science and Engineering) at UWA. The Bachelor of Philosophy only accepts students with marks over 98 and is a holistic four-year degree comprising a three-year bachelor’s degrees and a fourth year of honours.

Head Girl in 2018, Jamie Lau (ATAR of 97.65) is going to study Medicine at the University of NSW. She becomes the seventh student to gain acceptance into Medicine in the last four years.

Technology is the buzzword for this generation and Randy De Guzman (96.85) is studying a Bachelor of Mechatronic Engineering and Computer Science at Curtin University. Head Boy, Charles Morley-Wong (ATAR 98.35) is also off to Curtin to study a Bachelor of Engineering. Rico Lee (95.65) and Anushree Arunkumar (95.70) have been accepted into a Direct Pathway – Masters of Professional Engineering at UWA.

Science at UWA was also the choice for other high achievers: Tom Featherstone (95.15) will study a Bachelor of Science (Physics) and Mathematics. Sophie Tremain-Hill (95.60) will study a Bachelor of Science (Pre-clinical Optometry) for a year at Curtin University then an Optometry degree at Flinders University. Molly Clegg (95.80) and Eliza Lock (95.65) are both going to study a Bachelor of Science – Occupational Therapy (Honours) at Curtin.

Health Winner

Congratulations to Rebecca Whitehurst who is the top student in the State in Health Studies and has become the Exhibition Winner in that subject. This is the third year in a row that Melville SHS has won this Subject Exhibition for Health Studies. She and Kate Burns received a Subject Certificate of Excellence as one of three students who were in the top 0.5% of students in Health Studies. Kate (with an ATAR of 94.35) has decided to study a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics and Statistics) at UWA.

Humanities High Achiever

Sarah Birch with an ATAR of 97.1 is going to follow her passions and do a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Modern History, Classics and Ancient History at UWA.

Graphic Design Media Star

Stella Gray Broun has won selection in the prestigious Year 12 Media Perspectives for her short film Well Number 7. The film is to be showcased in March at a short film festival and was selected by ATOMWA (Australian Teachers of Media WA).

Stella, who received an ATAR of 93.45 has been a part of the Graphic Design Media Specialist Program since Year 7 and then excelling in Visual Art & Design and Media Production course in senior school. In the league tables for Year 12 ATAR results, Melville SHS had leading courses in Design, Media Production and Visual Arts (based on the number of students who were in the top 15% of all students in the class).

Music Passion Leads to WAPPA Offers

Congratulations to Gifted and Talented student Kobi Simpson as well as Shaniqa Ratnasingam who have been accepted into WAAPA (WA Academy of Performing Arts). Kobi is going to study Jazz piano and is keen to have a career in performing and writing music. Shaniqa (ATAR 93.56) is going to study classical saxophone and hopes to use her degree to travel the world to study under other performers and teach music. She would love to one day join an orchestra. Both students said they were strongly encouraged and inspired by teachers Ms Ana Milas and Mr Lachlan Brooks-Crew.

Jordan Lukan and Mikael Setiaputra (ATAR of 99.75 placing him in the top 0.2% of the state) are part of a growing group from the school who are accepted into Medicine. Getting into Medicine is not just about doing well academically, but also involves doing well in the UMAT (Undergraduate Medical and Health Sciences Admission Test). Jordan’s UMAT of 172 (84th percentile) was outstanding. He volunteered as a St John’s first aid officer when at school and is now also volunteering with disabled children at Red Cross.

The UMAT challenges students in logical reasoning and problem solving; understanding people and non-verbal reasoning. The final ranking to get into Medicine is based on UMAT, ATAR and an Interview and is weighted 1:2:2 respectively. Approximately 65 ATAR students gain direct Bonded Medical Places (BMP) or 28.5. The rest are selected as post-graduate placements.

The school is aware of six students who have gained entry into Medicine in the last three years. Melville SHS is a Broadway Direct Pathway school that gives bonus marks for entry into Medicine and Dentistry.

Chiara Jil Fluri received a Health Studies Subject Exhibition for achieving the highest examination mark in an ATAR course.

Four students (Mikael Setiaputra in Physics & Mathematical Methods and Alyssa Davies, Adrian Gonzalez and Amberley Evans in Health Studies) were awarded Subject Certificates of Excellence for achieving in the top 0.5% of students in an ATAR course exam.

Jane Song is studying a Bachelor of Biomedicine with an assured pathway to Medicine at the University of Melbourne. Jane received the fifth highest result in the state with an ATAR of 95.95 and became the second highest state school student behind the Beazley Medal winner. Jane and put her success down to her amazing teachers. She said she was very proud to have received the results with no external paid tutoring or private tuition. Jane received a subject Exhibition in Mathematical Methods, a Certificate of Excellence in Chemistry and Maths and got 100% in three of her subjects.

Head Boy Owen Stanley is also at the University of Melbourne doing a Bachelor of Bio-Technology after his great result of 99.30 and achieving a Certificate of Excellence in Mathematical Methods.

Canningvale resident Paul Omodunbi received an early offer to study Computer Science and Systems Engineering at Curtin University. He received a fantastic ATAR result of 98.45.

Cosmo Batley has been accepted into the WAAPA Classical Piano Program.

Anatalisha Finn from Palmyra who has been part of the Melville SHS Gifted and Talented Program for the last five years was one of three students to join the elite 99 club with an ATAR of 99.15. Anatalisha has received a direct pathway into Medicine.

Another Gifted and Talented student, Max Wickham from Kardinya received an ATAR of 97.15 and has been a part of the Music in Focus program since he started high school. He is currently at WAAPA studying Jazz Guitar. He was part of the school’s Swing band that has been visited local primary schools to promote instrumental music courses.