Muddy-faced, huge smile, boundless enthusiasm – that’s what this school would look like as a person. Oh, and did we mention they’d be dedicated to their passions and with intelligent opinions? There’s not much wrong with that!
Why read our school review?
Unlike other websites, schools can't pay to be included in The Good Schools Guide. This means our review of this school is independent, critical and fair, and written with parents' best interests at heart.
Unlock to access
Overview & data
- Pupil numbers
- 403 ·
- Sixth form numbers
- 125 ·
- Offers boarding
- Yes ·
- Religion
- None
- Fees
- Day £19,152 - £22,690; Boarding £39,628 - £45,428 pa
- Local authority
- Plymouth City Council
- Area guides
- Linked schools

Headteacher
Head
Peter Watts
Since 2024, Peter Watts, previously at Prior Park Gibraltar.
Unlock this review instantly
Learn what pupils and parents really think of this school, along with our expert opinion on the headteacher’s leadership style, the school’s academic results and facilities, the focus on pastoral care, and the range of extra-curricular activities.

Entrance
In March 2025 school announced that it had been acquired by a Chinese company, the Galaxy Global Education Group. Plymouth College is the fourth UK school to join this group—alongside Ruthin School, Durham High School and Malvern St James. Quoted in
- Open days
- October and March

Exit
School won’t tell us how many leave after GCSEs, but it is usually around 20 per cent – almost all to local grammars and sixth form colleges, though a ‘solid handful’ bounce back in again when they realise the grass isn’t greener. Others swiftly

Latest results
In 2023, 40 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 26 per cent A*/A at A level (50 per cent A*-B). In 2019 (the last pre-pandemic results), 38 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 33 per cent A*/A at A level (56 per cent A*-B).
Average points score (2024)
What is this?
These figures tell you the average grade and average points that pupils achieved in their academic qualifications. A maximum of 60 points are available for a grade A* at A level.

Teaching & learning
In a city boasting three single-sex, academically rigorous grammars, parents say this school is the hidden gem because, ‘instead of pressure, they offer a sense of belonging where pupils are accepted whatever their ability and talent, making them
- Qualifications taken in 2024
- A level
- EPQ
- GCSE

Learning support & SEN
‘Exceptional,’ say parents. Around 15 per cent of pupils have some form of mild educational need, with the learning support team (led by head of learning support SENCo plus two peripatetic teachers) offering tailored programmes that focus on

Arts & extracurricular
The most striking thing about this school is its all-action, adventurous heart. Not content to simply offer DofE and Ten Tors (both of which it excels at), the school has three full-time outdoor education experts who ensure that every pupil has

Sport
This has always been a sporty school, competing with Millfield and Mount Kelly as the top south-west school for elite swimming. It excels at taking the trauma of raising top athletes out of the hands of exhausted parents, delivering rigorous,

Boarders
Two on-site single-sex boarding houses are located in a terraced row of large cream stucco 19th-century villas, with the head of boarding and his family in the middle property. Befitting their age, the houses have high embossed ceilings and large

Ethos & heritage
Founded in 1877 as Plymouth High School for Boys, the school moved to its current site at Ford Park in 1880, changing its name to Plymouth College three years later. Several mergers with girls’ schools followed, becoming fully co-ed in 1995. The

Pastoral care, inclusivity & discipline
‘Fantastic pastoral care, I utterly trust the school to spot if something is amiss and to be able to deliver incredible support when needed,’ said a parent. Nobody could slip under the radar here, we heard, which was demonstrated on our visit.

Pupils & parents
Pupils we met were lively, enthusiastic, modest and up for adventure. The ‘whole school’ ethic is a key focus, all helped by vertical inter-year relationships, peer mentors and sixth formers actively helping out at the prep. ‘Definitely not an ivory

Money matters
Scholarships include all-round, academic, art, drama, music, performing arts and sport. Means-tested bursaries also available, as well as discounts for siblings and military families.
- Fee information
- Day £19,152 - £22,690; Boarding £39,628 - £45,428 pa

The last word
Muddy-faced, huge smile, boundless enthusiasm – that’s what this school would look like as a person. Oh, and did we mention they’d be dedicated to their passions and with intelligent opinions? There’s not much wrong with that!
