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Schools across Plymouth

Local authority · 107 schools across 1 towns

New inspection results and open days, weekly by email.

Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days

Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Plymouth (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.

Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days

Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Plymouth (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.

Schools in Plymouth (107)

Showing 20 of 107 schools

Total Schools

107

69 primary · 19 secondary

Total Pupils

38,023

86% capacity used

Ofsted Rated

31

6 outstanding · 25 good

Capacity

44,283

6,260 spare places

Ofsted Ratings

25
76
Outstanding: 6
Good: 25
Not inspected: 76

Area Performance (2026)

Attainment 8

42.0

GCSE Eng+Maths

42.8%

School Capacity

Primary Schools

85% full
19,332 pupils22,778 capacity

3,446 spare places

Secondary Schools

89% full
16,642 pupils18,768 capacity

2,126 spare places

Pupil Absence

Avg Overall Absence

6.7%

2024/25

Avg Persistent Absence

17.8%

2024/25

Schools Reporting

92

2024/25

Absence trend across Plymouth schools

4.9%
18/19
4.9%
20/21
8.4%
21/22
7.4%
22/23
7.3%
23/24
6.7%
24/25

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Average across all open schools in this LA.

EHCP Timeliness

Issued Within 20 Weeks

10%

Plans Issued

719

Assessment Requests

1,126

Tribunal Cases

32

EHCP timeliness trend (% issued within 20 weeks)

79%
2019
43%
2020
45%
2021
44%
2022
18%
2023
6%
2024
10%
2025

Source: DfE EHCP timeliness statistics. Shows how quickly this LA issues Education, Health and Care Plans.

Admission Appeals

2026 admission appeals by school phase

Primary

2,944 admissions

19

Lodged

(0.6%)

10

Heard

1

Successful

(10%)

Primary (infant classes)

2,548 admissions

11

Lodged

(0.4%)

4

Heard

0

Successful

(0%)

Secondary

3,562 admissions

80

Lodged

(2.2%)

53

Heard

13

Successful

(25%)

Total

6,506 admissions

99

Lodged

(1.5%)

63

Heard

14

Successful

(22%)

Total appeals lodged per year

342
2019
309
2020
360
2021
343
2022
353
2023
433
2024
220
2025
209
2026

Source: DfE admission appeals statistics. Shows how competitive school places are in this area.

Towns in Plymouth

Questions parents ask about schools in Plymouth

How many schools are there in Plymouth?

Plymouth has 107 open schools: 69 state primary, 20 state secondary or all-through, 4 independent, 8 special and 6 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Plymouth are rated Outstanding?

11 schools in Plymouth were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Mill Ford School, Prince Rock Primary School, High View School, Tor Bridge Primary School, Glen Park Primary School and 6 more. Counting Good as well, 94% of the 94 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Mill Ford SchoolPrince Rock Primary SchoolHigh View SchoolTor Bridge Primary SchoolGlen Park Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Plymouth get the best GCSE results?

Of the 20 schools in Plymouth with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Devonport High School for Girls (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 74.9 and 97% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Plymouth High School for Girls (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 65.7 and 92% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Devonport High School for Boys (selective grammar), with an Attainment 8 score of 65.1 and 89% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Selective schools admit by ability, so their raw results are not a like-for-like comparison with comprehensives. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Devonport High School for GirlsPlymouth High School for GirlsDevonport High School for Boys

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Plymouth have the best SATs results?

Of the 65 primary schools in Plymouth with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Glen Park Primary School (95% in reading, 97% in maths); Mayflower Academy (92% in reading, 95% in maths); and Marine Academy Primary (92% in reading, 92% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Glen Park Primary SchoolMayflower AcademyMarine Academy Primary

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Plymouth?

Yes. Devonport High School for Boys, Devonport High School for Girls and Plymouth High School for Girls are state grammar schools in Plymouth. Grammar schools admit pupils by ability through an entrance test, usually sat at the start of Year 6.

Devonport High School for BoysDevonport High School for GirlsPlymouth High School for Girls

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Plymouth have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Plymouth have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Plymouth allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Plymouth?

Apply to Plymouth through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.