Plymouth High School for Girls

Plymouth · PL4 6HT

General information Secondary School · 11-18 years Who goes here 782 pupils, 13.7% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 2.8% on SEN support Behaviour 5.9% absence rate Staff 9.8% turnover Financials £5,714 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Plymouth High School for Girls

General Information

Address: St Lawrence Road, Plymouth, PL4 6HT – View on map
Phone: 03333602230
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr Simon Underdown
Age range: 11-18 years
Demand for places (Year 7, September 2026): 104 families put it first for 119 places – 9 for every 10 places. 68% of them were offered a place. 40 of the 119 places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 9 · 2024 12 · 2025 11 · 2026 9
Sixth form: Yes
Intake: Girls
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

782 pupils out of 804 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 80
% eligible for free school meals: 13.7%
Pupil mix: 4 in 10 (more mixed than the Plymouth average)
English as an additional language: 9% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 9.8% a year (Plymouth 13.3%, typical in England 15.5%) Low turnover
Where they went: about 8% moved to another school, 92% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. "Low turnover" means it's among the quarter of similar schools in England where teachers are most likely to stay.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Plymouth: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 26 (1.5 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.7)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 44 (2.5 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.9)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 6 (0.3 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.8)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state secondary schools in Plymouth, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 5.9%
Persistently absent pupils: 14.2%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 2.8%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 0.3%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Other difficulty or disability: 8 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 6 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 5 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 2 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Specific learning difficulty: 1 pupil
Other difficulty or disability: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2024 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Attainment 8 score: 65.5
Compared with the area: 18.2 points above the Plymouth average (47.3)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: not compared – selective (grammar) school - chooses pupils by ability
Grade 4+ in English and maths: 97% (Plymouth 69%, England 65%) Broadly steady
Data year: 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

GCSE results over time

This schoolPlymouth averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was 18.2 points above the Plymouth average (47.3).

About the Attainment 8 score

Attainment 8 measures a pupil's average result across 8 GCSE-equivalent qualifications (English and maths count double). It shows how pupils performed, not how much progress they made getting there - a school with a higher score doesn't necessarily add more value, since pupils often arrive with different starting points. Progress 8 is the measure designed to account for that, but it currently can't be calculated for any school for the two most recent academic years, due to a nationwide gap in the data caused by COVID-19 disruption to Key Stage 2 testing.

3rd of 18 secondary schools in Plymouth for Attainment 8

#1Devonport High School for Girls73.8
#2Devonport High School for Boys69.3
#3Plymouth High School for Girls65.5
#4Hele's School50.7
#5Coombe Dean School49.2

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

Rank School Score

#1Devonport High School for Girls73.8
#2Devonport High School for Boys69.3
#3Plymouth High School for Girls65.5
#4Hele's School50.7
#5Coombe Dean School49.2
#6Plymstock School47.3
#7Marine Academy Plymouth43.6
#8Lipson Co-operative Academy43.5
#9Scott Medical and Healthcare College43.5
#10Notre Dame RC School43.3
#11Plympton Academy43.1
#12Eggbuckland Community College42.3
#13All Saints Church of England Academy41.4
#14Tor Bridge High40.4
#15St Boniface's RC College39.0
#16Millbay Academy36.9
#17UTC Plymouth36.4
#18Stoke Damerel Community College35.9

Leaver Destinations

In education, employment, or training a year later: 96.0%
Went into further education: 92.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About leaver destinations

This shows where a school's Year 11 leavers were recorded the following year - in a "sustained" destination means in education, an apprenticeship, or employment for at least 6 months, not just enrolled briefly. It's a different picture from exam results alone, and can highlight schools that support pupils well beyond just their GCSE grades.

GCSE Subjects Offered

English Language
Maths (General)
English Literature
Science Double Award
Geography
History
Food Technology
German
Sports Studies
Physics (General)
Chemistry (General)
Biology
Art & Design
Music Studies (General)
French Language
Religious Studies
Speech & Drama
D & T
Computer Science
Dance: General
Community Development

About this subject list

This isn't the school's own description of its curriculum - it's real DfE exam entry data, showing which GCSE subjects this school's pupils were actually entered for in 2024/25. A subject not appearing here may still be taught but had no pupils entered that year, so treat this as a helpful guide rather than a complete guarantee - it's worth confirming directly with the school for the year your child would actually study.

View full Ofsted inspection report

7th of 13 secondary schools in Plymouth for Ofsted rating

#5Marine Academy PlymouthGood
#6Millbay AcademyGood
#7Plymouth High School for GirlsGood
#8Plymstock SchoolGood
#9Scott Medical and Healthcare CollegeGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1All Saints Church of England AcademyGood
#2Devonport High School for BoysGood
#3Devonport High School for GirlsGood
#4Hele's SchoolGood
#5Marine Academy PlymouthGood
#6Millbay AcademyGood
#7Plymouth High School for GirlsGood
#8Plymstock SchoolGood
#9Scott Medical and Healthcare CollegeGood
#10Tor Bridge HighGood
#11UTC PlymouthGood
#12Eggbuckland Community CollegeRequires improvement
#13Plympton AcademyRequires improvement

Financials

Spending per pupil: £5,714 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

17th of 18 secondary schools in Plymouth for spending per pupil

#15Hele's School£6,847
#16Plympton Academy£5,853
#17Plymouth High School for Girls£5,714
#18Scott Medical and Healthcare College£5,609

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1St Boniface's RC College£8,844
#2Stoke Damerel Community College£8,629
#3Notre Dame RC School£8,430
#4Tor Bridge High£8,203
#5UTC Plymouth£8,082
#6All Saints Church of England Academy£8,072
#7Lipson Co-operative Academy£7,813
#8Eggbuckland Community College£7,768
#9Millbay Academy£7,593
#10Devonport High School for Boys£7,589
#11Marine Academy Plymouth£7,545
#12Coombe Dean School£7,438
#13Plymstock School£7,288
#14Devonport High School for Girls£7,185
#15Hele's School£6,847
#16Plympton Academy£5,853
#17Plymouth High School for Girls£5,714
#18Scott Medical and Healthcare College£5,609

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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General Information

Who goes here

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Behaviour

Across Plymouth: suspensions by reason

Attendance

SEN

Most common needs - SEN Support

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Educational Attainment

Attainment 8 ranking

Leaver Destinations ?

GCSE Subjects Offered ?

Ofsted Rating ranking

Financials

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Leaver Destinations

GCSE Subjects Offered