Find the best secondary schools in Plymouth. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas, GCSE results and Progress 8.
Plymouth has 19 secondary schools, all in Plymouth council's area. Most state schools here offer places by distance from home once children in care and siblings of current pupils have been admitted, so how close you live decides your chances at any school with more applicants than places. Some councils draw a fixed catchment boundary instead, and the distance at which the last place went changes every year. Of the 19, 3 are faith schools that can put children of their faith first, and 3 select by ability through the 11-plus, so distance counts for less there.
Use the distance checker to measure your home's straight-line distance to any Plymouth secondary school, and each school's page for its Ofsted report, results and admissions details. Check your distance to a school or try the admissions calculator.
| School | Type | Our rating |
|---|---|---|
| Devonport High School for Girls | girls, selective, sixth form | 4.7 / 5 |
| Devonport High School for Boys | boys, selective, sixth form | 4.5 / 5 |
| Plymouth High School for Girls | girls, selective, sixth form | 4.5 / 5 |
| Hele's School | sixth form | 4.0 / 5 |
| Coombe Dean School | sixth form | 3.5 / 5 |
| Lipson Co-operative Academy | sixth form | 3.5 / 5 |
| Plymstock School | sixth form | 3.5 / 5 |
| Marine Academy Plymouth | sixth form | 3.4 / 5 |
There are 19 secondary schools in Plymouth.
Apply by 31 October in your child's Year 6, for a place starting the following September. You apply to the council where you live, even if the school is in another council's area, and can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference. Offers are sent on 1 March, or the next working day.
Yes, 3 secondary schools in Plymouth select pupils by ability: Devonport High School for Girls, Devonport High School for Boys and Plymouth High School for Girls. Entry is by the 11-plus, usually sat in September of Year 6. You register for the test separately, normally in the summer term of Year 5, and still name the school on your council application by 31 October.
Of the 19 secondary schools in Plymouth, 17 have a sixth form. Students at a school that stops at 16 apply separately for sixth form, either at another school or at a college.
Of the 19 secondary schools in Plymouth, 3 have a religious character: 2 Roman Catholic and 1 Church of England. When a faith school has more applicants than places, it can give priority to children of its faith. Many ask for a supplementary form, sometimes signed by a religious leader, so read the school's admissions policy before you apply.
Yes, Plymouth has 3 girls' schools and 2 boys' schools. The other 14 are mixed. Some single-sex schools take both boys and girls into the sixth form.
| UTC Plymouth | sixth form | 3.4 / 5 |
| Scott Medical and Healthcare College | sixth form | 3.3 / 5 |
| Millbay Academy | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| All Saints Church of England Academy | Church of England | 3.3 / 5 |
| St Boniface's RC College | Roman Catholic, boys, sixth form | 3.1 / 5 |
| Tor Bridge High | sixth form | 3.0 / 5 |
| Eggbuckland Community College | sixth form | 3.0 / 5 |
| Sir John Hunt Community Sports College | sixth form | 2.9 / 5 |
| Stoke Damerel Community College | sixth form | 2.9 / 5 |
| Plympton Academy | sixth form | 2.5 / 5 |
| Notre Dame RC School | Roman Catholic, girls, sixth form | 2.4 / 5 |
Our rating is out of 5 and combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and published results. Source: Department for Education (GIAS) and Ofsted.
On our star rating, the highest rated are Devonport High School for Girls (4.7), Devonport High School for Boys (4.5), Plymouth High School for Girls (4.5), Hele's School (4.0) and Coombe Dean School (3.5). The rating is our own, out of 5. It combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and GCSE results, with the parent survey carrying the most weight. All 19 schools here have a rating.
Only when you qualify for more than one school. Each school ranks applicants against its own admission criteria without knowing where you placed it. If you qualify for several, the council offers the one you ranked highest, so putting a popular school first does not lower your chances at your second choice.
No. Distance only matters when a school has more applicants than places, and then it offers places in the order its admission criteria set out. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or catchment area. Faith schools and grammar schools use different criteria. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
The council offers a place at another school with room, which may be further from home. You can accept it and still join the waiting lists for the schools you preferred. Waiting lists are ranked by the admission criteria, not by how long a child has been on them. You can also appeal to an independent panel for any school that refused you.