Devonport High School for Boys 11+ guide

Atom Learning is partnered with Devonport High School for Boys. You can read more about our partnership here.

From September 2026, the Plymouth grammar schools (Devonport High School for Boys, Devonport High School for Girls and Plymouth High School for Girls) will be using Quest Assessments as their 11+ exam provider. More information about the entry process for these schools will be available in spring 2026.

Thinking about applying to Devonport High School for Boys? Find out everything you need to know about admissions in 2025–2026 and how to prepare your child for success in the 11 plus entrance exam.

Key information for Devonport High School for Boys

• Address: Devonport High School for Boys, Paradise Road, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 5QP
• Number of pupils: 1,100+
• Admissions contact: [email protected]
• Number of places in Year 7: 180
• 11+ exam: GL Assessment and school’s own paper
• Catchment area: no

Dates for your diary

• Summer term 2025: registration opens for the DHSB 11+ exam
• Wednesday 11th – Thursday 12th June 2025: practice exam at DHSB
• Tuesday 8th July 2025: DHSB open evening
• Sunday 31st August 2025: registration closes for the DHSB 11+ exam
• Saturday 13th September 2025: 11+ exam (paper 1)
• Saturday 20th September 2025: 11+ exam (paper 2)
• Mid-October 2025: parents receive 11+ exam results
• Friday 31st October 2025: national deadline to apply for secondary school places
• Monday 2nd March 2026: national secondary school offers day

About Devonport High School for Boys

Devonport High School for Boys (DHSB) is a boys' grammar school in Plymouth, Devon. It was founded in 1896 for boys in Plymouth and the surrounding area who were seeking a career in the navy. The Devonport Borough Council took over the school in 1906.

In 2002, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) designated DHSB as one of the first four specialist engineering colleges in England. It continues to hold this specialist status.

Ofsted rates the school 'good' overall, but singles out the school's sixth form provision, behaviours and attitudes, and personal development as 'outstanding'. It notes how pupils are 'polite, respectful and welcoming' and praises opportunities for leadership and citizenship.

How to apply to Devonport High School for Boys

Devonport High School for Boys is a selective state school. This means that your child will need to take the 11 plus exam to be eligible for a place in Year 7.

Registration for the 11 plus opens on the school website in April 2025 and closes on Sunday 31st August 2025. Your child will take the exam on two consecutive Saturdays in September, and you'll receive his results in mid-October.

To apply to Devonport High School for Boys, you’ll need to name the school as one of your preferred schools on the secondary school common application form. This will be available on your home council website from early September and must be submitted by Friday 31st October 2025.

Remember – passing the 11 plus doesn’t guarantee that your child will be allocated a place at your preferred school. Many grammar schools are often oversubscribed with qualified children. Schools and their admissions authorities work through admissions criteria to prioritise children for places. We’ve included the admissions criteria for Devonport High School for Boys below.

What subjects are on the Devonport High School for Boys 11 plus?

Children applying to Devonport High School for Boys take three 11 plus papers: English reading, maths, and writing.

The English reading paper and the maths paper are supplied by GL Assessment. This is one of the main 11+ exam providers in England. These papers last around 45 minutes to one hour and are multiple-choice. Your child will be given a question booklet and pre-printed answer sheets. They will need to mark the answer(s) or the answer sheets which they believe are correct.

The English writing paper is created internally by Devonport High School for Boys.

English reading

The questions in the English reading paper are based on the content your child will have learned on the national curriculum at school. Some questions will test reading comprehension. Your child will need to read a passage of text and answer questions to demonstrate their understanding. Other questions might test further English skills, such as spelling, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation.

Maths

The maths paper is also based on Year 5 content, but the questions might be more challenging than what your child is used to. They will assess your child’s knowledge of key concepts, including times tables, mental maths, shapes, space and measures, how to use the four basic operations, and reading graphs. Your child will need to use their skills to solve new kinds of problems for some more advanced questions.

English writing

The writing paper lasts around 30 minutes. Your child will need to choose one prompt (they will have a few to choose from) and write an original piece based on the prompt. The format of their writing will depend on the prompt – for example, writing the opening of a story, a newspaper article, or a letter.

Scores will be awarded based on varied sentence structure, correct punctuation, clear text structure and organisation, and composition and effect.

How does place allocation work at Devonport High School for Boys?

Your child’s marks in the GL Assessment English and maths papers are age-standardised to ensure that younger children aren’t disadvantaged. An average of the two papers will then produce your child’s rank.

The English writing paper is marked internally by staff at Devonport High School for Boys. After all the papers have been marked and the scores placed in rank order, the school will determine the qualifying score for the writing paper.

Children are then placed in three categories:

• Category A: children who achieved a mark in the GL Assessment papers equal to or higher than that of the 180th ranked candidate, and achieved the qualifying mark in the writing paper. Children in Category A are eligible for a place at Devonport High School for Boys.
• Category B: children who achieved a mark in the GL Assessment papers lower than the mark achieved by the 180th ranked candidate, but achieved the qualifying mark in the writing paper. Children in Category B are eligible for consideration for a place on the school waiting list.
• Category C: children who did not achieve the qualifying mark in the GL Assessment paper and/or did not achieve the qualifying mark in the writing paper. Children in Category C are not eligible for a place at the school.

Children in Category A who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) which names Devonport High School for Boys are allocated places first. If the number of remaining children in Category A is higher than the number of places available, the school prioritises places in this order:

1. Looked after children and previously looked after children
2. Children who appear to have been in state care outside of England and are now adopted
3. 174 children who achieved a qualifying mark, in rank order
4. Up to six children who achieved a qualifying mark and are eligible for pupil premium
5. Other children in rank order

If there are any tied positions in the list, priority is given in this order:

1. Children eligible for pupil premium
2. Sons of DHSB staff (employed for at least two years)
3. Based on the mark in the writing paper
4. Based on how far the child lives from the school (children living closest are prioritised)
5. Finally, a random number generator will be used

Atom’s top tips for 11 plus preparation

The Devonport High School for Boys 11 plus is designed to select the most academically able children in Plymouth and the surrounding area. Here are our top tips to help you and your child feel confident for exam day!

Bitesize learning

It’s important to build a good knowledge base before the 11 plus. Using a ‘little and often’ approach when learning is key – our brains encode new information more effectively when dealing with smaller ‘chunks’ of information. For children aged 10–11, child psychologists recommend regular study sessions of 20–30 minutes.

Atom Home makes learning a more enjoyable process for your child. They'll explore exciting worlds full of interactive questions, earning coins to spend in the Atom shop. Atom adapts to your child, showing them questions at just the right level of difficulty to keep them motivated.

Read widely

11 plus exams test your child’s ability to analyse and interpret written information. Regular reading is a great way to help your child build these skills.

Encourage them to read books from different genres and by a diverse range of authors. Increasing the variety of your child’s reading will help them understand different styles, tones and purposes. Meanwhile, reading a little every day will help widen their vocabulary, sharpen their analytical thinking, and enhance their imagination.

Refine exam technique

When your child feels confident with the topics they’ve learnt in Year 5, they’ll be ready to put their knowledge to the test.

Practice tests can help your child develop problem-solving skills and build confidence working under test conditions. They’re also a great way to consolidate learning and highlight knowledge gaps for further improvement.

With Atom Home, you'll unlock online mock tests and printable practice papers for the 11 plus. Enjoy automatic marking and progress tracking with the online tests, and help your child get familiar with the real exam experience with printable practice papers.

Celebrate progress

Setting regular, achievable goals and celebrating your child’s progress – no matter how big or small – will help keep their motivation high.

Make sure to encourage a growth mindset. This means celebrating effort, as well as achievement! When your child makes mistakes or struggles to understand a particular topic, help them understand that they’ll improve through practice. Regular praise will help your child improve their resilience when tackling new and challenging topics.