Devonport High School for Girls, Plymouth

From the headteacher's welcome: "I am very proud to be the Head Teacher here in a school where the staff and I value each and every young person as an individual and support them on their journey into adulthood."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include dance, drama, orchestra, STEM and Duke of Edinburgh.

In 2026, pupils at Devonport High School for Girls averaged an Attainment 8 score of 74.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 47.3 in Plymouth and 47 across England.

97% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 49% in Plymouth and 47% in England.

That is up from 73.8 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.78: pupils made well above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 76.9, against 74.6 for other pupils at the school.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 22 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Chemistry, Biology and Physics.

Devonport High School for Girls is a grammar school: places go to children who reach the required standard in its entrance test, and only then are the oversubscription criteria applied.

For September 2026 entry, 250 families put Devonport High School for Girls as their first choice and 346 named it as one of their preferences, for 158 places offered. That is 1.6 first choices for every place. 93 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

Devonport High School for Girls admits pupils through an entrance test, usually called the 11-plus. Children have to be registered for it in advance, normally in the spring or summer of Year 5; the test itself is usually sat in September of Year 6, and results come out in October, before the 31 October deadline for naming secondary schools.

Passing the test makes a child eligible rather than guaranteeing a place: when more children pass than there are places, Devonport High School for Girls ranks them by the criteria in its admissions policy, which can include test score and distance. Check Plymouth's admissions pages and the school's own policy for this year's registration deadline - a child who is not registered in time cannot sit the test.

Plymouth has 3 state grammar schools in all, so a child who passes may have several selective schools to choose between.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Devonport High School for Girls are All Saints Church of England Academy (0.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 36.5); Scott Medical and Healthcare College (0.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 47.2); Stoke Damerel Community College (0.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 38.3); and St Boniface's RC College (1.1 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 37.8).

Devonport High School for Girls's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.

104 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Devonport High School for Girls (as of September 2025): 93% would recommend the school, 98% say their child is happy there and 80% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (99%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (80%).

Of the 121 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 100% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 7% to a further education college.

Of the 99 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 55% went on to university or other higher education, 3% to apprenticeships and 30% into work. 41% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

9.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 69 pupils (7.1%) received SEN support and 4 (0.4%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.

The nearest railway station is Plymouth Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.

17 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is DHS Girls (ne-bound), 130 metres away.

In 2024/25, Devonport High School for Girls issued 1 suspension, 0.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Devonport High School for Girls are Montpelier Primary School (0.1 miles), Pennycross Primary School (0.4 miles), Mayflower Academy (0.7 miles) and Hyde Park Junior School (0.8 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.