Devonport High School for Girls Review 2026: A Premier State Grammar School

When the building was newly constructed at Peverell in 1937, it overlooked a park and local playing fields; today it looks out across Central Park and commands views from its top floors that reflect Plymouth's enviable position between Dartmoor and the sea. This red-brick landmark has educated girls for over 115 years, and the current academic performance places it firmly in the top tier of England's state schools. ranked 185th in England for GCSE results (placing it in the top 4% of schools across England), with nearly three-quarters of all GCSE entries graded 9-7, Devonport High School for Girls (DHSG) has established itself as one of the highest-performing grammar schools in the Southwest. The school's selective entry means approximately 2.3 applications compete for every available place, drawing girls not just from Plymouth but from across west Devon and southeast Cornwall. Despite this academic intensity, the school maintains a reputation for warmth and genuine pastoral care; girls describe their time here as challenging but fundamentally supportive. At its heart remains a house system named after five distinctive local estates, Flete, Kitley, Hartland, Saltram, and Edgcumbe, creating distinct communities within the larger school.

The distinctive architecture signals the school's age and stability. The Victorian red-brick main building, complemented by more recent additions, sits on a generously sized green campus somewhat removed from the busy road that bounds it. Devonport High School for Girls in Peverell, Plymouth has a clear sense of identity shaped by its setting and community. Students move between lessons with focus. The house system shapes daily experience: form tutors within each house provide consistent pastoral oversight, and house competitions throughout the year create identity and friendly rivalry.

Mr Lee Sargeant, who leads the school, has instilled a forward-thinking mindset despite the school's traditional foundations. The school achieved academy status in 2019, gaining operational independence while maintaining its selective, grammar school character. This hasn't meant abandonment of established practices, the uniform remains, the house system continues, and formal values persist, but the leadership demonstrates genuine commitment to innovation alongside tradition.

The school carries particular distinction as a Specialist Languages College, a designation it held with pride and that continues to shape curriculum philosophy even after formal specialist status ended. Girls describe a culture that celebrates achievement across multiple domains: academic prowess earns recognition, but so do music performances, sporting achievements, and acts of service. The four house competitions maintain this balance, with points awarded for participation in drama productions, sports fixtures, music ensembles, and academic accomplishments.

GCSE Performance

The GCSE results represent genuinely elite performance within the state sector. In the most recent cohort, 71% of all entries achieved grades 9-7 (equivalent to A*-A under the former system), compared to 54% across England, placing this school well above the England average. The Attainment 8 score of 75.4 reflects strong performance across the full range of subjects, with notably high achievement in the core academic disciplines of English, mathematics, and sciences.

The school ranks 1st among Plymouth's secondary schools and 185th across all state secondaries in England (FindMySchool ranking). This top 4% placement reflects consistent, sustained performance. Progress 8 scores of +0.78 indicate that pupils make progress above their starting point, a crucial measure showing the school adds real value to girls' learning, not simply selecting high-achieving intake.

84% of pupils entered the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), a measure of breadth reflecting the school's commitment to students studying sciences, humanities, and languages in addition to English and mathematics. Of these, 79% achieved grades 5 and above across the EBacc suite, well above the England average of 41%. This demonstrates the school's languages specialism translates into tangible achievement.

A-Level Performance

The sixth form maintains exceptional standards. At A-level, 72% of entries achieved grades A*-B, with 14% at A* and 29% at A. The school ranks 351st in England (FindMySchool ranking), placing it in the top 13% of sixth forms across England and 1st in Plymouth, a genuinely strong position reflecting sustained academic excellence through post-16 education.

The breadth of A-level subjects reflects a school confident in specialisation while maintaining curriculum range. Students progress to leading universities, with Oxbridge representing a meaningful but not overwhelming component of destination outcomes.

Oxbridge and Russell Group

The school sent 14 candidates to Oxbridge colleges in the measured period. All three acceptances secured Cambridge places, demonstrating particular success with that institution. Beyond Oxbridge, girls progress regularly to Russell Group universities including Durham, Edinburgh, Exeter, and Bristol, universities that demand sustained academic excellence. The pathways into professional disciplines such as medicine, law, and engineering remain strong.

The curriculum architecture reflects DHSG's position as a selective academic school and former languages specialist. Separate sciences are taught throughout, mathematics is set by ability from Year 9, and further mathematics is available for the mathematically ambitious. The languages provision is genuinely distinctive: girls begin at least one language in Year 7, often two, and French, Spanish, and German remain core offerings through to GCSE. More unusually, the school offers both Classical Civilisation and Latin, catering to girls with classical interests.

Teaching methodology emphasises student engagement and depth over surface coverage. Staff demonstrate confident subject expertise. Form tutors stay with their tutee groups across all five years (Years 7-11), providing consistency and enabling adults to understand individual learning needs deeply. In the sixth form, smaller class sizes in A-level subjects allow more personalised attention.

The school's British Council International School Award reflects genuine commitment to global citizenship. Students engage with international perspectives through curriculum content, exchange partnerships, and collaborative projects with schools worldwide. This sits alongside domestic engagement, community service features prominently in school life, with girls undertaking local volunteering and supporting established charity partnerships.

Entry to the sixth form is selective, with girls required to meet published entry requirements; the school also admits approximately 40 external students annually, adding diversity to the sixth form community. The sixth form occupies dedicated facilities, creating distinct identity. Students enjoy greater autonomy in curriculum choices while benefiting from structured pastoral systems and progression support.

A-level subject choice is broad, with approximately 26 subjects available depending on take-up. The school works collaboratively with neighbouring schools within a consortium, meaning girls can access subjects that smaller cohorts may not sustain individually. This extends choice meaningfully while maintaining the school's core ethos.

Sixth form students take on leadership roles: mentoring younger pupils, leading clubs, organising house competitions, and participating in student council. The annual Sixth Form Entertainment described on the school website as capability-building occasion where Year 12 students organise and perform for the whole school suggests a culture that trusts older students with meaningful responsibility.

Nearly half of the 2024 leaver cohort (46%) progressed to university, demonstrating that routes beyond higher education remain valued options. 38% entered direct employment, reflecting the school's commitment to supporting diverse pathways rather than directing all girls towards university. 3% began apprenticeships. The sixth form cohort, by contrast, shows overwhelming university progression, unsurprising for a selective grammar school with strong A-level results.

Girls securing university places name Durham, Edinburgh, Exeter, and Bristol among frequent destinations beyond Oxbridge. The professional outcomes in law, medicine, and STEM fields reflect both the selective intake and the quality of teaching in these areas. The school's careers support actively develops university and apprenticeship pathways, recognising that different girls thrive in different environments.

Music: A Defining Strength

Music occupies genuinely prominent position within school life. More than a third of girls play an orchestral instrument, a substantially higher proportion than national norms. The school maintains a large orchestra, a junior choir, and a senior choir, all performing regularly at school events and in the community. An active string group provides additional ensemble opportunity. Many girls achieve grades 7 and 8 on their instruments by Year 10, reflecting dedicated practice and quality instrumental tuition.

The annual carol concert represents a highlight of the school calendar, combining choral and orchestral forces in a major community event. Beyond formal performance, music permeates school culture: lunchtime ensemble rehearsals, student-led informal performance opportunities, and integration of musicians into school ceremonies all signal that music-making is genuinely valued rather than peripheral.

The school advertised for a Music Teacher with particular emphasis on expanding GCSE provision and launching a brand-new A-level music course, suggesting strategic investment in subject growth. The European Parliament Ambassador School (EPAS) programme represents an additional high-level opportunity, with students from an EPAS Junior Ambassador Team delivering sophisticated policy presentations on topics including hospital management and rare diseases, intellectual engagement at genuine depth.

Drama and Theatre

Drama features prominently in extracurricular life. The school maintains active theatrical traditions with student productions throughout the year, supported by dedicated facilities. The main school hall accommodates larger dramatic productions, while other spaces support student-devised work and smaller ensemble performances. Drama GCSE and A-level options indicate robust curriculum provision.

Sports Provision

Sporting stars have achieved national squad selection in hockey, netball, rugby, swimming, diving, and athletics, evidence of both coaching quality and competitive depth. The school's sport provision has expanded recently with improved facilities, suggesting institutional commitment to sustained investment. Rugby represents a noteworthy addition to the typical grammar school sports menu, reflecting girls' genuine enthusiasm for the sport rather than adherence to convention.

STEM and Leadership

The European Parliament Ambassador School programme demonstrates ambition beyond conventional subjects. Girls develop high-level research, teamwork, leadership, and public-speaking skills whilst engaging with real-world European policy issues. This intellectual initiative across STEM and humanities indicates that the school creates pathways for girls with diverse passions to develop genuine expertise.

Clubs and Societies

The comprehensive extracurricular menu reflects a selective school with engaged staff and motivated students. Published clubs include the Dissection Society, engaging girls interested in biological sciences with practical anatomical study. Robotics activities build engineering thinking. Academic societies support girls pursuing particular subject passions. Debate and public speaking clubs develop confidence and articulation. Regular academic competitions and lectures bring external expertise and stretch the most able students.

Pastoral Structure and Wellbeing

The house system provides primary pastoral structure, with form tutors delivering daily support and house heads overseeing progress and welfare across years. The dedicated Student Support Team addresses challenges including academic mentoring, literacy support, behaviour support, counselling, and attendance concerns. This comprehensive pastoral architecture recognises that girls experiencing emotional difficulty cannot simultaneously engage fully with learning.

The school's Special Educational Needs provision includes a SENCO who monitors pupils identified as having additional needs, supported by learning assistants. Gifted and talented pupils receive support through both mainstream teaching challenge and comprehensive extracurricular programming. This balanced approach, ensuring stretch for the most able whilst supporting those requiring additional input, characterises a genuinely inclusive selective school.

Entry to Year 7 is through selective examination, with approximately 356 applications competing for 157 places (2.27:1 ratio, establishing clear competition for entry). The 11-plus entrance test assesses English comprehension and mathematical reasoning, designed to identify the top 25% of the cohort. Registration for tests typically opens in spring, with testing occurring in early autumn and results released in late autumn. Applications through Plymouth Local Authority's coordinated admissions process have a national deadline of October 31 for that autumn's entry. National offers are made in early March of the following year.

Families considering application should understand that tutoring for the entrance examination is widespread, with many girls undertaking formal preparation, a reality the school acknowledges while maintaining that tutoring is not necessary. The entrance test has undergone redesign specifically to reduce tutoring advantage, though parental perception of necessity remains high given competition levels.

The Sixth Form admission process operates separately. The school publishes entry requirements specifying GCSE grades required in specific subjects. Approximately 40 external places are offered annually, alongside internal progression places for DHSG girls meeting entry criteria. Sixth form applications are made directly to the school rather than through coordinated admissions.

The school is located on Lyndhurst Road in Peverell, Plymouth, offering reasonable public transport access. Parking on-site is limited but the school's website provides transport information and links to local transport services. The school day operates from morning through mid-afternoon, with a structure that accommodates girls' club participation and allows staff to supervise after-school provision. No specific wraparound care is mentioned on the school website; families should contact the school directly regarding any breakfast or after-school arrangements they require.

The school uniform consists of traditional blazer, tie, and skirt, with specific uniform regulations detailed on the parent information pages. The development fund allows families to contribute voluntarily to school infrastructure and enhancement projects, supporting the school's capital programme.

Students are supported by a dedicated pastoral team across multiple levels: form tutors provide daily relationship and support; house heads coordinate house-level pastoral oversight; and the Student Support Team delivers specialist interventions including counselling, behaviour support, and academic mentoring. The school takes safeguarding seriously, with a designated safeguarding lead and comprehensive policies.

Mental health support is explicitly highlighted, reflecting current priorities in educational pastoral work. Girls describe feeling genuinely cared for by adults who know them personally. The relatively small cohort size, 840 pupils across years 7-13, combined with the house system enables staff to know individual students meaningfully rather than anonymously.

Selective Entry Competition: With 2.27 applications per place, entry is highly competitive. Families choosing to apply should engage realistically with entrance examination preparation, understanding that the test is challenging and designed to select approximately the top 25% of the year group regionally. Girls unsuccessful in this process should have identified alternative schools offering appropriate challenge.

Pace and Intensity: This is a demanding school academically. The curriculum moves quickly, teaching assumes strong prior attainment, and the peer group consists of girls selected for academic ability. Girls who struggled at primary despite being capable may find the pace initially overwhelming. Those preferring a less academically intense environment should look elsewhere.

Tutoring Culture: While the school maintains that tutoring is not necessary, parental practice shows that many girls receive external preparation. Families uncomfortable with this culture or lacking resources for supplementary tuition should be realistic about competitive disadvantage, though the school deliberately works to minimise tutoring advantage through test design.

Girls-Only Education: The school serves girls exclusively from entry through sixth form, creating particular character and arguably supporting girls' educational experience in particular contexts. Families preferring mixed-sex education should select alternative schools.

Devonport High School for Girls represents genuinely elite state education, combining academic excellence with breadth of opportunity and genuine pastoral warmth. The 71% A*-A GCSE outcomes, top-4% national ranking, and consistent progression to leading universities reflect authentic educational quality. The music provision reaches standards worthy of independent schools. The pastoral care architecture ensures academic challenge never comes at cost of wellbeing.

The school is best suited to academically able girls from selective entry backgrounds, whose families value rigorous education and broad extracurricular opportunity. Girls thrive here when they engage enthusiastically with challenge and embrace the selective peer group as positive rather than pressured. The main barrier to admission is the competitive entrance examination; once secured, the educational experience is exceptional.

For families seeking a state selective school combining academic excellence with character development, music and arts opportunity, and genuine pastoral support, this school delivers at the highest level.