Ofsted: Good schoolGrammar School trending_up Popular emoji_events #3 in Plymouth public Top 3% UK

Plymouth High School for Girls

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Simon Underdown

corporate_fareTHE THINKING SCHOOLS ACADEMY TRUST

location_onPlymouth, PL4 6HT

language Visit Website phone 3333602230

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2011

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Students

826

trending_up

Attainment 8

65.5

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GCSE Rank

#3 in Plymouth

#150 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Plymouth High School for Girls is a Academy converter secondary school in Plymouth, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.1×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Plymouth High School for Girls is an academy converter in Plymouth, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of THE THINKING SCHOOLS ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 795 pupils on roll, of whom 11% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 65.5, placing the school #3 in Plymouth and #150 of 3,216 nationally. 90.30% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 47.1% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 24 A-level subjects. 52.9% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 25.1% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.33 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2011. The school's current overall rating is Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.1× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 19.8:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 0.5 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

65.5

Grade 5+ E&M

90.30%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)47.1%

Entering EBacc53.40%

EBacc APS5.93

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.24

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

65.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc40.50%

EBacc APS5.82

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.19

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

65.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc53%

EBacc APS6.03

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.25

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

69.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc59%

EBacc APS6.38

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)92%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

99%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)98%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

99%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)94%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)97%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

-0.33

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

117

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*7.3%

Achieving A*–A25.1%

Achieving A*–B52.9%

VA Banding Below average

Retention rate94.0%

A-level subjects offered24

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.31

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

126

Retention rate97.60%

2023

Avg Grade

C+

Students

117

Retention rate96.60%

2022

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate95.2%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

No digital report timeline available.

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2011-09-28

S5 Inspection EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2009-01-28

None EIF

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

0.8%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.6%(5 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 795 pupils. During this period, there were 6 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.8%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg
2024/25 (Spring term)	795	6	0.8%	7.3%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	802	2	0.2%	7.8%
2023/24 (Summer term)	813	6	0.7%	7.4%
2023/24 (Spring term)	816	3	0.4%	7.1%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	826	0	0.0%	8.2%
2022/23 (Summer term)	818	0	0.0%	6.6%
2022/23 (Spring term)	826	0	0.0%	6.4%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	826	1	0.1%	5.9%
2021/22 (Summer term)	777	3	0.4%	4.7%
2021/22 (Spring term)	791	12	1.5%	4.9%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	790	3	0.4%	4.4%
2020/21 (Summer term)	790	2	0.3%	3.6%
2020/21 (Autumn term)	797	2	0.3%	3.9%

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 3 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 1 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 1 pupils

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Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

87.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

95.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

16.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree43%

agree43%

disagree7%

strongly disagree3%

don't know5%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree30%

agree38%

disagree22%

strongly disagree6%

don't know3%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree26%

agree21%

disagree12%

strongly disagree5%

don't know1%

not applicable35%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes15%

no85%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree22%

agree48%

disagree26%

strongly disagree4%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree65%

agree28%

disagree3%

strongly disagree1%

don't know3%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree55%

agree35%

disagree6%

strongly disagree1%

don't know3%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree50%

agree40%

disagree8%

strongly disagree1%

don't know1%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree49%

agree39%

disagree10%

don't know1%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree45%

agree47%

disagree5%

strongly disagree2%

don't know2%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree45%

agree34%

disagree13%

strongly disagree5%

don't know5%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes86%

no14%

Top Secondary Schools in Plymouth

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

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Devonport High School for Girls

Good

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Devonport High School for Boys

Good

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Hele's School

Good

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Coombe Dean School

Good

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Plymstock School

Good

location_on Plymouth, PL9 9AZ

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Marine Academy Plymouth

Good

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View all schools in Plymouth arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Selective Admission (Grammar)

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Plymouth

Devonport High School for Girls

Devonport High School for Boys

Hele's School

Coombe Dean School

Plymstock School

Marine Academy Plymouth