Thousands of practice questions and up to 6 mock papers, all in the exact Plymouth High School for Girls 11+ format, on one simple plan. It starts with a free diagnostic.
Thousands of practice questions and up to 6 mock papers, all in the exact Plymouth High School for Girls 11+ format, on one simple plan. It starts with a free diagnostic.
If your daughter is curious and likes to be made to think rather than simply drilled, Plymouth High is a grammar built around exactly that. Kindness, respect and curiosity sit at the centre of the school community, and as part of the Thinking Schools Academy Trust it takes seriously the job of helping girls become careful, independent thinkers rather than good exam-takers alone. Lessons are demanding and the atmosphere is calm and purposeful. Being a smaller grammar than some, it keeps a close, familiar feel, and girls tend to know one another and their teachers well across the year groups.
The school has a long memory. Founded in 1874, it is one of Devon's oldest selective girls' grammars and has been the city's choice for academically able girls for 150 years. It sits on St Lawrence Road in Plymouth and takes girls from age 11, with boys joining in the sixth form, where much of that thinking work comes together before university. Its Latin motto, "Non scholae sed vitae discimus", translates as "For life, not school, we learn", and that line has guided its work since the doors first opened.
Led by headteacher Mr Simon Underdown, who joined in September 2019, Plymouth High suits a curious, motivated girl who will respond to a school that expects her to think for herself and care about others as she does it. It will appeal to a family wanting real academic challenge without the pressure of a much larger setting, somewhere a daughter can stretch herself and still feel known.
No
Does Plymouth High School for Girls have a catchment area?
No, the school doesn’t have a catchment area.
Plymouth High School for Girls uses the Quest Admissions exam board for its 11+ entrance test.
No, there is no interview stage for the 11+ admissions process at Plymouth High School for Girls.
Plymouth High School for Girls is a single-sex grammar school for girls.
No, Plymouth High School for Girls does not have a catchment area for its 11+ admissions.
The official website for Plymouth High School for Girls is https://www.phsg.org/.
Your daughter first needs to reach the required standard in the 11-plus, which she sits in September before you list your school preferences. There's no fixed pass mark; it depends on demand each year. If the school is oversubscribed, places among qualifying girls go in priority order. A child with an EHC plan naming the school is admitted first. Then looked-after and previously looked-after children, then up to 12 places for girls eligible for the free school meals pupil premium or Ever 6 FSM, then all other qualifying girls by test score. You must register your daughter for the 11-plus with the school and also name it on your local authority application form.
If your daughter can't sit the 11-plus at the published time because of illness or another genuine reason beyond your control, the school can consider her in the first round of allocations if you explain why and provide evidence, such as a doctor's note. Contact the trust's admissions authority as early as you can. The policy sets out reasonable adjustments through the local authority's coordinated scheme rather than a separate reserve-test procedure, so if illness strikes on the day, get in touch with the admissions office straight away. Evidence is required, and without a genuine reason a late application won't be considered in the first round.
