Academy converter

Plymstock School

Mixed · ages 11–18 · with sixth formPlymouth, South West · Plymouth PL9 9AZTrust: Westcountry Schools TrustSchool website
Pupils on roll
1,515of 1,680 places
Free school meals
21.3%
Year 11 cohort 2025
281
Ofsted
Good, 19 April 2023Read the Ofsted report

Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Plymstock School (URN 113537, until 1 April 2011).

What the data says

Of the 292 pupils who finished Year 11 at Plymstock School in 2023, 38% stayed on in Plymstock School’s own sixth form (Plymouth average 40%), 40% went to a further education college and 12% started an apprenticeship.

Apprenticeships are a real route from here: 12% of leavers started one, roughly three times the England figure of 3%.

Among the 90 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 44% went to university (Plymouth 26%, England 37%), and 19% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.

Physical Education is unusually popular at GCSE: 29% of the year group took it, against 11% of pupils across England.

Where pupils went after Year 11

Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Plymouth and England.

Plymstock School
Plymouth
England
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
MeasurePlymstock SchoolPlymouthEngland
Pupils in the cohort2922,912607,348
Any sustained destination95%91%92%
Stayed in education80%80%86%
— school sixth form38%40%34%
— sixth form college1%13%
— further education college40%37%37%
— other education1%3%2%
Apprenticeship12%9%3%
Employment3%3%3%
No sustained destination4%6%6%
Destination unknown1%3%3%

Where students went after sixth form

Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.

Plymstock School
Plymouth
England
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
MeasurePlymstock SchoolPlymouthEngland
Students in the cohort902,532541,441
Any sustained destination88%80%79%
University (higher education)44%26%37%
— most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students19%12%19%
Further education2%7%5%
Apprenticeship4%15%7%
Employment37%31%28%
No sustained destination9%16%16%

GCSE results 2025

MeasurePlymstock SchoolPlymouthEngland
Attainment 8 (average points per pupil)47.345.746.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths50%46%45%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths73%66%65%
Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects32%28%41%
EBacc average point score4.213.964.09
Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort18%28%28%
Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils39.334.334.9
Attainment 8 — other pupils49.150.150.4
Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2)
English as an additional language3%9%19%

Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.

Subjects taken at GCSE

Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEnglandGrades 7–9EnglandGrades 4–9
Mathematics27698%88%16%22%80%
English Language27598%89%12%20%73%
English Literature26996%86%9%21%74%
Combined Science24186%65%13%9%74%
Geography18265%41%19%25%66%
Business Studies13147%18%24%20%75%
History10537%41%18%26%64%
Physical Education8229%11%9%24%54%
Computer Science7627%13%14%30%57%
French7326%18%22%29%86%
Religious Studies5118%31%35%32%80%
Art and Design4315%7%21%24%77%
Design and Technology4014%11%13%23%63%
Food Preparation and Nutrition3412%8%9%21%74%
Photography3312%6%12%19%73%
Chemistry2910%23%34%47%93%
Physics2910%23%24%46%90%
Biology2910%23%41%45%100%
Drama228%7%36%27%95%
German155%5%27%33%100%
Music124%5%25%33%83%
Russian10%0%87%
Chinese10%1%75%
Polish10%1%84%
Citizenship Studies10%3%19%
Spanish10%19%27%

Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Tourism3739%
Health Studies3739%
Building / Construction Operations (General / Combined)3436%
Hospitality / Catering Studies1112%
Beauty Care / Services11%

A levels and other level 3 courses

MeasurePlymstock SchoolPlymouthEngland
Students at the end of 16–18 study206
— of whom A level students94938261,341
Average A level gradeB-C+B-
Average points per A level entry35.2434.4335.00
Average grade, best 3 A levelsB-C+B-
AAB or better with two facilitating subjects17%17%18%
Average grade, applied general courses
Average grade, T levels

A level subjects

Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Psychology3032%23%
Mathematics2324%31%
Biology1920%20%
Sociology1819%13%
History1718%13%
Physics1314%12%
English Literature1213%11%
Geography1112%10%
English Language and Literature1112%2%
Religious Studies1011%4%
Chemistry1011%17%
Computer Science1011%5%
Art and Design77%1%
Drama66%2%
Further Mathematics5%
German0%
French1%
Film Studies2%
Photography3%

Applied, technical and other level 3 courses

SubjectQualificationEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Social ScienceVRQ Level 34043%
Business StudiesOCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 32628%
Study SkillsExtended Project (Diploma)1314%
Health StudiesOCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 389%
Sports StudiesOCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 366%
BiologyGCE AS level (All)
Further MathematicsGCE AS level (All)
SociologyGCE AS level (All)
BiologyGCE AS level (Not continued to A2)
Further MathematicsGCE AS level (Not continued to A2)
SociologyGCE AS level (Not continued to A2)
Mathematical StudiesCore Maths Qualifications at Level 3
TourismBTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D*

Other secondary schools in Plymouth

Coombe Dean School

Academy converter · sixth form · 1,000 pupils

82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 49.2

Hele's School

Academy converter · sixth form · 1,378 pupils

82% stayed in education · Attainment 8 50.7

Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.