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School profile Verified 11 September 2026

Plymouth Plymouth 11+

Devonport High School for Boys

Paradise Road, Stoke, PL1 5QP

A selective boys grammar school in Plymouth, Devon, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,268 pupils on roll.

Grammar school Boys Academy converter Ages 11-18 Sixth form GL Assessment
UK rank
UK Rank #113
Year 7 places
180
Competition ?
High
Ofsted ?
Good
11+ route
GL Assessment
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On this page

At a glance

Key facts

GCSE rank
UK Rank #113
Sector
Grammar school
Admissions
Boys only
Assessment
GL Assessment
Places in Year 7
180
Competition ?
High
Catchment
You can apply from any area. There is no defined catchment or local-priority area, although distance may still affect allocation or a tie-break.
Ofsted ?
Good

Overview

Devonport High School for Boys is a selective boys' grammar in Plymouth, serving ages 11 to 18. Its admissions page roots the school in a selective tradition dating back to 1896, while the about page gives the present-day motto-like promise: "Everyone Succeeds". The school has about 1,268 pupils on roll, including the sixth form.

The school's academic tone is disciplined and purposeful. DHSB describes a caring environment with high expectations, strong examination and university records, and a well-resourced learning setting. The online curriculum detail is less expansive than on some grammar-school sites, but the admissions and about pages are clear that the aim is not just selection by attainment: the school emphasises endeavour, professional teaching and the development of skills students need for happy and successful adult lives.

The house system is one of the clearest features of day-to-day life, giving pupils a structure for competition, celebration and belonging. The school-life pages also name Duke of Edinburgh and sports facilities, while sixth-form admissions material points to a substantial post-16 offer with subject introductions, option blocks, results and destinations information.

Year 7 admission has 180 places. The entrance route uses two Quest Assessment multiple-choice papers, one in English reading and one in mathematics, followed by a school English writing paper; the Quest papers create the ranked order and the writing paper acts as a qualifying hurdle. The policy then works through looked-after, ranked-score, pupil-premium and tie-break categories. Ofsted judged the school Good in October 2023, with Outstanding judgements for behaviour and attitudes, personal development and sixth form; GOV.UK shows +0.30 Progress 8, 98.9% grade 5+ in English and maths, and 24.8% AAB or better at A level.

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Key points
Assessment route
GL Assessment across a 3-stage process, covering English, Maths and Writing task.
Places and demand
180 places in Year 7 and High
Catchment
You can apply from any area. There is no defined catchment or local-priority area, although distance may still affect allocation or a tie-break.
Results
98.9% grade 5+ in English and maths and 69.3 Attainment 8
Sixth form
Sixth form available with 25% AAB or better and 50% in higher education.

GCSE benchmark

Latest 2024/25 KS4 measures compared with Plymouth and England.

School Local authority England
GCSE benchmark comparison Latest GCSE benchmark measures for Devonport High School for Boys, Plymouth, and England. 0 50 100 Att. 8 5+ E&M EBacc APS EBacc %
Attainment 8
69.3
Grade 5+ English and maths
98.9%
EBacc APS
5.83
EBacc entry
25.3%

Attainment 8 trend

Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Plymouth and England.

School Local authority England
Attainment 8 trend line Attainment 8 over time for Devonport High School for Boys, Plymouth, and England. 80 66.7 53.3 40 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25

Destinations

Latest 2024/25 Year 11 destination mix compared with Plymouth and England.

Education Apprenticeships Employment Other / unknown
Destinations stacked bar comparison Year 11 destinations for Devonport High School for Boys, Plymouth, and England across education, apprenticeships, employment, and other or unknown destinations. 0 50 100 School Local auth. England

School details
Sector
Grammar school
School type
Academy converter
Application
Local authority CAF
Gender
Boys only
Age range
11-18
Headteacher
Mr Dan Roberts
Pupil roll
1,268 pupils
Sixth form
Yes
Trust
Devonport High School For Boys Academy Trust
FSM ?
7.7%
EAL ?
9.9%
EHCP ?
0.8%

Extracurriculars

Duke of Edinburgh

Ethnicity

Pupil ethnicity

Whole-school roll of 1,268 pupils; 1,173 had a recorded ethnic group.

White 75.4% Asian 7.8% Mixed 6.6% Black 1.2% Other 1.5% Unclassified 7.5%

Location and contact

Address

Address
Paradise Road, Stoke, Plymouth, Devon
Postcode
PL1 5QP
Area
Plymouth
Exam area
Plymouth 11+

School leadership

Headteacher
Mr Dan Roberts

School contact

School email
headteacher@dhsb.org
School phone
01752208787

Admissions contact

Admissions team
Admissions
Admissions contact
Sophie Stanton
Admissions email
admissions@dhsb.org
Admissions phone
01752208787
Open in Map Open school website

Admissions
Year 7 places
180 places (2027 entry)
Applications listed
258 applications (2025 entry)
First preferences
226 first preferences (2025 entry)
Competition ?
High
Who can apply
You can apply from any area. There is no defined catchment or local-priority area, although distance may still affect allocation or a tie-break.
Published score basis
Selective standard first; no published numeric threshold (2027 entry)
Pass mark note
There is no published numeric pass mark. Candidates must reach the required standard in the two external papers and the school English writing paper. Category A candidates are considered for initial offers, while Category B candidates remain eligible for the waiting list.

A qualifying-standard model applies. Candidates must reach the required standard in the two external papers and the school English writing paper before the ranked oversubscription rules are applied.

There is no published catchment area. If candidates are still tied after the main ranking rules, straight-line home distance is used after pupil or service premium, staff priority, and the school English paper mark.

Oversubscription and eligibility

  1. 1

    Looked-after and previously looked-after children with a qualifying mark

    Children in care, previously looked after children, and children previously in state care outside England are considered first once they have achieved the qualifying mark.

  2. 2

    174 qualifying candidates ranked by score

    After priority children are placed, 174 places go to candidates who reached the qualifying mark, in rank order.

  3. 3

    Up to six qualifying Pupil Premium candidates

    Up to six places are reserved for candidates who achieved a qualifying mark and were registered as receiving Pupil Premium at the date of testing.

  4. 4

    Other qualifying candidates in rank order

    Remaining qualified candidates are ranked by score. If scores are tied, priority then moves through pupil or service premium, children of staff, the DHSB English paper mark, straight-line home distance, and finally random allocation supervised by the local authority.

Admissions policy

Year 7 admission policy 2027/28

2027 entry

Information booklet

Candidate information pack

2027 entry

Appeals

Plymouth school admission appeals

2027 entry

Exam and test format

The GL Assessment 11+ entrance test format

The test has two externally set Quest multiple-choice papers in English reading and mathematics, followed by a school English writing paper. The Quest papers create the ranked order, while the writing paper is used as a qualifying hurdle rather than a separate scored offer list.

Assessment route
GL Assessment
Papers and stages
3 papers
Format
Mixed format
Age standardisation
Published as age-standardised

Official exam resources

Past papers and practice materials

No released past entrance-test papers are currently verified here. The resources below are labelled by type.

Plymouth and Devon test guide

Papers and rounds

  1. Paper 1

    English

    English reading paper

    Quest Assessment multiple-choice English reading paper.

  2. Paper 2

    Maths

    Mathematics paper

    Quest Assessment multiple-choice mathematics paper.

  3. Paper 3

    Writing task

    English writing paper

    School English writing paper used as a qualifying paper alongside the two external tests.

What the test includes

English and Maths are included in the published format.

Verbal reasoning, Non-verbal reasoning and Science are not listed in the current published format.

Included

  • English

  • Maths

Not listed

  • Verbal reasoning

  • Non-verbal reasoning

  • Science

Application

Key dates

Get date reminders
Find open days and plan a visit

  1. Open evening

    7 July 2026

    Past

    Starts at 4:30pm.

  2. Registration opens

    Summer term 2026

  3. Registration closes

    31 August 2026

    Past

  4. Entrance test day one

    12 September 2026

    Past

  5. Entrance test day two

    19 September 2026

  6. A/B/C result letters

    Before the October 2026 CAF deadline

  7. National offer day

    1 March 2027

How to apply

  1. 1

    Read the Year 7 policy and FAQ

    Check the published Year 7 policy and admissions FAQ for the qualifying categories, tie-break order, and the two test dates.

    Open admissions FAQ
  2. 2

    Register with the school

    Complete the school registration by 31 August 2026 so your child can be allocated a test date.

    Check registration details
  3. 3

    Sit the three-part assessment

    Candidates sit the English reading and mathematics Quest papers plus the school English writing paper on 12 or 19 September 2026.

    Open candidate pack
  4. 4

    Submit the CAF

    Name Devonport High School for Boys on your home local authority secondary application after the test registration has been completed.

Official admissions documents

Admissions policy

Year 7 admission policy 2027/28

2027 entry

Information booklet

Candidate information pack

2027 entry

Results

Inspection
View report
Good

Latest inspection: 18 October 2023

Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Good
Sixth form provision
Outstanding

Quick summary

  • Overall effectiveness: The 2023 inspection judged Devonport High School for Boys Good overall, with outstanding behaviour, personal development and sixth form. Pupils are ambitious, respectful and well supported, though a few subjects needed stronger curriculum planning.
  • Quality of education: The curriculum is well structured in many subjects and pupils build knowledge through challenging work, talk and reading. In a few subjects, pupils moved on before earlier learning was secure enough for more complex ideas.
  • Behaviour and attitudes: Behaviour was judged outstanding. Pupils are polite, respectful and welcoming, bullying is extremely rare, and staff use thoughtful behaviour work to help pupils understand mistakes and manage emotions.
  • Personal development: Personal development is exceptional, with Devonport Voice, equality and diversity work, grief and mental-health support, rich careers provision, overseas visits and many clubs in drama, music, chess and sport.
  • Leadership and management: Leaders and trustees know the school's strengths and priorities well, offering staff strong professional development, wellbeing support and balanced challenge. The main leadership task is ensuring every subject curriculum builds knowledge progressively.
  • Sixth form provision: Sixth-form provision was outstanding. Students study an exceptional curriculum, speak with confidence about demanding work, receive strong careers and higher-education guidance, and contribute to school life through mentoring and equality work.

Similar schools and comparisons

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Shortlist comparisons

Compare Devonport High School for Boys with Torquay Boys' Grammar School

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Related pages and guides

Guides and related reading

Related guides are still being added.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What assessment types does Devonport High School for Boys use?

Devonport High School for Boys currently uses GL Assessment.

How do I apply to Devonport High School for Boys?

1. Read the Year 7 policy and FAQ: Check the published Year 7 policy and admissions FAQ for the qualifying categories, tie-break order, and the two test dates. 2. Register with the school: Complete the school registration by 31 August 2026 so your child can be allocated a test date. 3. Sit the three-part assessment: Candidates sit the English reading and mathematics Quest papers plus the school English writing paper on 12 or 19 September 2026. 4. Submit the CAF: Name Devonport High School for Boys on your home local authority secondary application after the test registration has been completed.

When are the key dates for Devonport High School for Boys?

Open evening: 7 July 2026. Registration opens: Summer term 2026. Registration closes: 31 August 2026. Entrance test day one: 12 September 2026. Entrance test day two: 19 September 2026. A/B/C result letters: Before the October 2026 CAF deadline. National offer day: 1 March 2027

What does the latest inspection picture look like for Devonport High School for Boys?

Devonport High School for Boys is currently rated Good following the latest published inspection dated 18 October 2023.