SCHOOL PROFILE

Plympton Academy

Secondary Academy converter URN 136556
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 1,350 Published school capacity
Capacity used 72.9% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 18 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

19 March 2024
Latest published outcome Requires improvement
OEIF
Quality of education Requires improvement
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Good
Leadership & management Requires improvement
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Plymouth
Trust THE THINKING SCHOOLS ACADEMY TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 984 984 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 482 49.0% of pupils
Male pupils 502 51.0% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

21.2%
3.6 pts below England
School 21.2%
Plymouth 25.3%
South West 20.1%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

2.1%
18.2 pts below England
School 2.1%
Plymouth 11.0%
South West 10.7%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

1.1%
0.1 pts above England
School 1.1%
Plymouth 2.7%
South West 1.5%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
94.4%
929
Any other White background
1.3%
13
Any other Mixed background
0.7%
7
White and Asian
0.6%
6
African
0.5%
5
White and Black Caribbean
0.5%
5
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 7.8% 77 of 984 pupils
13.0 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 7.8%
Plymouth 21.3%
South West 21.7%
England 20.8%
SEN support 4.6% 45 pupils
England 14.8% 10.2 pts below
EHC plans 3.3% 32 pupils
England 6.0% 2.8 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 30
Autistic spectrum disorder 15
Speech, language & communication 15
Moderate learning difficulty 10
Specific learning difficulty 5
Physical disability 2

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

43.1 3.9 pts above England
School 43.1
Plymouth 43.9
South West 37.7
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 43.8% England 36.0% 7.8 pts above England
English & maths grade 4+ 66.5% England 51.4% 15.1 pts above England
EBacc entry 11.9% England 30.6% 18.7 pts below England
EBacc average point score 3.57 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: -0.39 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

10.55%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

4.33 pts higher than England
School 10.55%
Plymouth 6.71%
South West 6.20%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

27.95%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

12.14 pts higher than England
School 27.95%
Plymouth 17.83%
South West 15.08%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

5.85%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

4.05 pts higher than England
School 5.85%
Plymouth 2.13%
South West 1.90%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

72.9% 19.4 pts below England
Plympton Academy
72.9%
Plymouth
87.7%
South West
88.7%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information