At RGS Guildford, our academic reputation is complemented by an equally vibrant and diverse curriculum in Drama, Music, Art, DT and Sport, ensuring a holistic and enriching educational experience for our students.
Curriculum
ISI Report 2025Pupils develop a breadth of knowledge and enthusiasm for scholarship. This is a significant strength of the school.
First and Second Form Curriculum
Our curriculum offers access to all the aesthetic, human and social, linguistic, mathematical, creative and literary, scientific and technological, physical and moral and spiritual areas of learning. By studying a range of subjects, our students are able to make informed option choices and forge their bespoke path which plays to their individual strengths and passions.
| Subject | First & Second Form |
| English | 4 Periods |
| Mathematics | 4 Periods |
| Integrated Science | 6 Periods |
| Core Language (French/Spanish/German*) | 3 Periods |
| Latin | 3 Periods |
| Geography | 3 Periods |
| History | 3 Periods |
| Religious Studies | 2 Periods |
| Art | 2 Periods |
| Design & Technology | 2 Periods |
| Music | 1 Period |
| Drama | 1 Period |
| Digital Literacy | 1 Period |
| Tutor Period | 1 Period |
| PE | 1 Period |
| Games | 3 Periods |
*German added as a Core Language from September 2026.
Third to Sixth Form Curriculum
As they move up the school a degree of optionality is introduced into the curriculum, allowing students to begin to narrow their focus on fewer subjects.
Learning Habits
Central to a lifelong love of learning, and interwoven throughout each student’s curricular and co-curricular experiences, the RGS Learning Habits are the behaviours and attributes which students develop, helping them to thrive as they progress through school, university and beyond.
- Organisation
- Engagement
- Imagination
- Perseverance
- Aspiration
- Reflection
Scholarship
Our philosophy for fostering a scholarly mindset includes:
- being fiercely curious and intellectually inquisitive;
- looking for opportunities beyond the curriculum and making connections between individual subjects;
- encouraging creativity and a free-thinking approach which is willing to challenge conventional opinion;
- providing opportunities for research and presentation skills;
Our Move to Co-Education
Throughout its rich 500-year history, the School has always innovated to build on our success. Our focus is always solely on what is in our students’ best interests, educationally and with regard to their wellbeing and personal development. We firmly believe that co-education now provides us with an opportunity to enhance the education we provide to the benefit of all.
We want an RGS education to be reflective of today’s society – one where equity and equal opportunity for the sexes are promoted and in which both girls and boys are able to have equally ambitious aspirations, to work collaboratively and to set themselves up for fulfilling, enriching, happy futures.
The RGS has rich history of providing the very best education for boys, and RGS students have for many years enjoyed regular interactions and developing lasting friendships with their peers from local girls’ schools: travelling to and from school together, co-performing in drama productions and music concerts, enjoying joint trips and expeditions, learning together through the General Studies programme in the Sixth Form, and enjoying both organised social events and also meeting informally in town. Our move to co-education is a natural step for us, and as a co-educational community we will enrich the educational experience of all our students and the preparation we provide them for university and beyond.
