The Year 9 Options Evening for the academic year 2025-2026 will be held in Spring 2026 to provide Year 9 families with the opportunity to explore Option choices for study in Year 10 and 11.

The selection of courses at Key Stage 4 is one of the key moments in a child's secondary education. All Ellis Guilford, pupils follow a two-year Key Stage 4 programme, starting in Year 10. This provides the best opportunity for every child to achieve their full potential and secure success by the end of Year 11.

Selecting the right course is not always a straightforward decision. However, we aim to ensure that the information and guidance provided will alleviate some of these issues. It’s important that every child understands their own strengths and weaknesses so that they can optimise their chances of success, and that they select courses in which they have a real interest.

In Key Stage 4, children will follow a curriculum comprising of two main elements:

• The Core Curriculum
• Option subjects

We actively encourage students who are thinking about pursuing A-Levels and University to consider choosing both a:

• Humanities choice
• Foreign language choice

The curriculum at Ellis Guilford School has been designed to enable children to realise their potential in every subject. The changing landscape in education means that the quantity of GCSEs taken is no longer the priority; grade 9-1 GCSEs are very challenging and benefit from extra classroom learning time if children are to achieve the highest grades.

Options Booklet

Below you will find the choices for current Year 9s who will begin Year 10 in September 2025. A revised booklet will be published prior to the Options Evening in Spring 2026.

The Core Curriculum

For information about each of the Core subjects that all children will study at Key Stage 4, please refer to the Options Booklet above.

Optional GCSE Courses: Information Videos

Click on the subjects below to hear our Directors of Faculty give you more information about each subject. If there is no linked video, please refer to the Options Booklet above for information.

Optional Vocational / Technical Courses

Click on the subjects below to hear our Directors of Faculty give you more information about each subject. If there is no linked video, please refer to the Options Booklet above for information.