Scott Medical and Healthcare College Review 2026: A small studio school with a clear healthcare mission

A secondary school that starts at Year 9 is already unusual. Add a medical and healthcare specialism, work placements, and a campus model that widens subject choice, and you have a college designed for students who want education to feel purposeful. The curriculum is framed around strong core GCSEs alongside specialist routes such as health studies, childcare and psychology, then a post-16 pathway that can include healthcare-focused experiences.

Leadership is structured across the shared campus, with Anita Frier as Headteacher and Karen Merricks as Head of School for the college. Recent external evaluation describes the school as calm and orderly, with most pupils attending happily, and with a curriculum that is well designed and taught effectively.

This is a small setting by secondary standards, which shapes the day to day experience. Expectations are positioned as high, with an emphasis on orderly routines and a disruption-aware approach to lessons. That matters for families who want a focused environment, especially for students who do best when classrooms feel predictable and purposeful.

The healthcare specialism is more than branding. Students are encouraged to connect learning to future pathways through sector-linked activities and events, and the language of “next steps” appears frequently across school communications. The tone is pragmatic, with a message that qualifications should translate into options, whether that is A-levels, vocational courses, apprenticeships, or employment.

Inclusion is treated as a whole-school priority rather than a single initiative. The college reports earning the Rainbow Flag Award, supported by staff and student training, workshops, and an inclusion review, with student voice built into the process. This sits alongside pastoral and personal development structures that include leadership opportunities through a house system, and a wider set of extracurricular options available through the shared campus model.

At GCSE level, the headline picture is positive. The Attainment 8 score is 56.5, and Progress 8 is 0.76, which indicates students, on average, make well above average progress from their starting points. The FindMySchool ranking (based on official data) places the college 1,442nd in England for GCSE outcomes, and 7th locally in Plymouth. That sits in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile), with a comparatively strong local position.

The Ebacc profile looks more specialised than traditional. The average Ebacc APS is 4.39 compared with an England figure of 4.08, while the percentage achieving grades 5 or above in the Ebacc is 7.5%. For families who value a broad Ebacc-heavy curriculum, it is worth checking how the options model works here, and how the specialist courses interact with a traditional subject mix.

Post-16 outcomes are the area to read most carefully. The FindMySchool A-level ranking places the sixth form 2,508th in England, and 16th locally in Plymouth, which is below England average overall. The A-level grade distribution reported here is 15.15% at grades A* to B, compared with an England benchmark of 47.2% for A* to B. This is a large gap, and families should explore the course mix, cohort size effects, and how the healthcare pathway combines academic and applied learning.

Parents comparing local schools can use the FindMySchool Comparison Tool within the Plymouth hub to view these measures side by side, particularly Progress 8 and the sixth form grade profile.

The curriculum is deliberately shaped around a core academic spine plus healthcare-linked study. Students joining in Year 9 study core subjects alongside introductory courses such as psychology, childcare and health studies. The intention is to keep the qualification set credible while making the programme feel connected to real careers.

Teaching is described as skilled and effective, with frequent checking for understanding and an emphasis on independent study habits. For students who need clear structure, that approach can be an advantage, especially when it is consistent across subjects. Support for students with SEND is described as integrated into everyday teaching, rather than as a separate track.

In sixth form, the healthcare pathway is designed to bring academic learning together with work experience placements and sector-related workshops. The campus partnership model also matters here, because it is used to maintain breadth of A-level options even within a small specialist setting.

Where Students Go Next

If the school does not publish a detailed breakdown of Russell Group progression, the most reliable indicator is the destination profile for the latest recorded leavers. For the 2023/24 leavers cohort (65 students), 46% progressed to university, 6% started apprenticeships, 26% entered employment, and 5% went into further education.

For students aiming for the most selective universities, the pipeline exists but is small. One student secured a Cambridge place in the measurement period, from two Cambridge applications.

The implication is that ambition is supported, but outcomes vary by pathway. This is a setting where it is sensible to ask, early, what successful progression looks like for your child’s chosen route, and what the school does differently for competitive applications in healthcare and allied professions.

Entry is primarily at Year 9, not Year 7. Year 9 admissions are coordinated through Plymouth City Council, rather than direct to the school, and the published admission number is 50 places for September 2026 entry. The deadline for the common application process is 31 October in the year before entry, with offers made on or about 1 March.

Oversubscription is decided through published criteria, including priority for looked-after children, exceptional medical or social needs (with supporting evidence), children of permanent staff, and distance as a criterion. Where applicants are tied on priority, the admissions arrangements set out a random allocation process.

Sixth form applications are made directly to the college, with a published admission number of 100 for Year 12. Minimum entry requirements are set out for A-level and vocational routes, including GCSE grade thresholds and subject-specific expectations for A-level study.

Families weighing the Year 9 move should use FindMySchoolMap Search to understand travel time and practical fit, particularly because students are changing school later than the standard Year 7 transition.

Pastoral systems reflect the school’s size and the campus model. The environment is described as calm and orderly, with high expectations for conduct and learning habits, which tends to suit students who do best with routine and clarity.

SEND is visible in leadership roles, and the wider school narrative points to a focus on students who have experienced disruption to education, with external agency work used to secure appropriate support. Families of students with additional needs should ask how support is delivered in lessons, how specialist course demands are managed, and what transition looks like for new starters in Year 9.

Inclusion work is also explicit. The Rainbow Flag Award activity, including student workshops and the Power of Us lunchtime club, signals a structured approach to LGBTQIA+ inclusion and student voice.

A specialist school still needs breadth, and the extracurricular offer here is more substantial than the size alone might suggest because it draws on shared campus provision. Students have access to a school production, a STEAM club, and a structured set of academic and intervention sessions including an EPQ drop-in and targeted biology support for Year 13.

Outdoor education is a genuine strand rather than a token. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is offered from Year 9 through to Gold, and the Combined Cadet Force is available as a voluntary activity, with activities spanning leadership training, navigation, first aid, and adventure training.

There is also a strong practical mix of sport and wellbeing activities, including rugby, netball, badminton, fitness sessions, and girls’ football. The presence of e-sports, campus radio, textiles, and a reading club indicates that the offer is not only for sporty students.

The school day is clearly structured. Students are on site for line-up from 8:40am, with dismissal at 3:05pm for Year 9, and later finishes for some year groups depending on the timetable. Sixth form finish time varies by individual timetable.

For families driving to events, school communications indicate parking arrangements using a nearby business park car park for evening sessions, which helps with a tight urban site. Public transport planning is worth checking early for Year 9 starters, particularly for students travelling across Plymouth.

• Late entry point. Joining at Year 9 suits some students very well, but it is a significant transition. Families should ask how induction works, and how quickly new starters are integrated into option choices.

• Sixth form outcomes. The A-level profile reported here is currently below England average overall. For students aiming for academic sixth form routes, it is important to understand subject availability, class sizes, and support for high-attaining students.

• Specialist focus. The healthcare pathway will feel motivating for many, but students who are unsure about health-related careers should check how broad the options remain, and how easy it is to keep routes open.

• Structured expectations. High expectations and clear routines can be an excellent fit, but families should consider whether their child responds well to a tightly managed day.

This is a purposeful studio school model that will suit students who want learning to connect directly to future pathways, especially healthcare and related professions. The GCSE picture is encouraging, with strong progress and a solid local ranking position. The main question for many families is post-16, where outcomes appear weaker and need careful exploration by subject and route.

Who it suits: students who thrive on structure, are motivated by vocational relevance, and would benefit from a smaller setting with a clear mission and supported next-step planning.