Devonport High School for Girls 11+ guide

Applying to Devonport High School for Girls for September 2028? This guide covers the Plymouth 11+ (Quest Assessments) in September 2027, the qualifying score, how the 158 Year 7 places are allocated and the key dates for September 2028 entry.

Devonport High School for Girls 11+ at a glance

• School type: girls' grammar school
• Location: Plymouth, Devon
• Admissions contact: dhsg@dhsg.co.uk
• Number of places in Year 7: 158 (2027-entry figure — Devonport High School for Girls confirms each year's admission number in its determined arrangements, published the spring before entry.)
• Qualifying score: There is no pass mark. Places at Plymouth's two girls' grammar schools are allocated in rank order of 11+ score, so the score needed depends on how many girls apply.
• 11+ test: Plymouth 11+ (Quest Assessments) (two multiple-choice papers, English and maths, of about 40 minutes each)
• Catchment or priority area: no — places are allocated by 11+ rank, not distance

Source: Devonport High School for Girls Admission Arrangements 2027/2028. Last checked October 2026.

Key dates for September 2028 entry

Devonport High School for Girls has published its 11+ timeline for September 2028 entry, shared with Plymouth High School for Girls. The registration, practice test and test dates below come from it. The timeline doesn't yet give 2028-entry dates for registration closing or results, so those two rows follow the 2027-entry timetable, when registration closed on Monday 31 August 2026 and results were sent on Thursday 15 October 2026. We'll update this page as the school confirms them.

How to apply to Devonport High School for Girls

Devonport High School for Girls is selective, so your child needs to sit the 11+ test to be considered for a place.

You register for the 11+ on the Devonport High School for Girls or Plymouth High School for Girls website while the registration form is open. One registration covers both girls' schools.

Once you have your child's result, you apply by naming Devonport High School for Girls on your common application form, which goes to your home local authority. For September 2028 entry the deadline is Sunday 31 October 2027. As it falls on a Sunday, you may find it easier to submit your form in the days before.

Reaching the qualifying score makes your child eligible, but it doesn't guarantee a place. If more qualifying children apply than there are places, the school uses its oversubscription criteria, set out further down this page.

What will my child be tested on?

Plymouth's three grammar schools share one 11+, provided by Quest Assessments. Your daughter sits it once to be considered for both Devonport High School for Girls and Plymouth High School for Girls. The papers are the same at either school and are taken on the same days. The Plymouth 11+ is a paper test and isn't adaptive.

There are two papers, English and maths. For 2027 entry they were sat on two Saturday mornings in September, English first. The school's timeline for 2028 entry lists a single test date, Saturday 18 September 2027, for both the maths and English comprehension papers, so for 2028 entry both papers are sat on the same day. Each paper lasts about 40 minutes plus time for instructions, and has 60 questions. All questions are multiple choice, usually with five options (A to E). Answers go on a separate answer sheet rather than being written out: your daughter draws a clear horizontal line through the box next to her chosen answer.

The English paper covers reading comprehension and spelling, punctuation and grammar. The maths paper is in two sections: a 10-minute fluency section and a 30-minute mathematical reasoning section. Nothing beyond the Year 5 national curriculum is assessed.

Verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and spatial reasoning are not tested, and there is no free-writing task for the girls' schools.

Quest Assessments doesn't respond to individual enquiries from parents. Questions about the test go to the school you're applying to, and Plymouth City Council's admissions team handles questions about admissions and results.

The official familiarisation materials for the Plymouth 11+ are on the Quest Assessments parent guidance page. Read our guide to the Quest Admissions exam for what the test looks like and how it's marked.

The table below shows what each paper covers.

How are places allocated at Devonport High School for Girls?

If more children reach the qualifying standard than there are 158 Year 7 places, Devonport High School for Girls offers places in the order below. This order comes from the school's admissions policy for 2027/28. The school sets its 2028-entry policy separately, and we'll update this table if anything changes.

The cut-off score is the score of the last girl offered a place under criterion 3, so it changes each year. Girls who aren't offered a place go on a waiting list ranked by the same criteria.

Does Devonport High School for Girls have a catchment area?

Devonport High School for Girls has no catchment area. Places depend on your daughter's 11+ score and the criteria above, not on where you live. Allocations for both girls' grammar schools are made together from one ranked list, based on each family's preferences.

If two girls have exactly the same score, priority goes first to a girl eligible for free school meals pupil premium or Ever 6 FSM, then to the girl living nearest the school in a straight line (measured by Plymouth City Council's mapping system). If that still doesn't separate them, an electronic random ballot decides.

If you don't live close to the school, it's worth thinking about how your child will get there every day. How long will the journey take? What transport options are available? Will they be travelling independently or with support?

A longer or more complex journey can affect your child's daily routine, including how much time they have for homework, rest and after-school activities. It's a good idea to think about how manageable the school run will be and whether it will work for your family day to day.

How can I help my child prepare for the Plymouth 11+?

Quest Assessments publishes official familiarisation materials for the test, and that is where families should start. Atom is not an authorised source for this test and has no access to its content. The guidance below is about building the skills the test draws on.

The curriculum doesn't change

The test draws on the Key Stage 2 curriculum, which is the same material every 11+ test is built from. Atom Home covers that curriculum with over 100,000 teacher-written practice questions across English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, so the work a child does is useful whichever test they end up sitting.

Find the gaps early

Atom's progress insights show which topics and question types a child finds hardest, so revision goes where it's actually needed rather than across everything equally.

Practise the conditions, not the questions

Atom's mock tests are built to give children practice working to time, reading an answer sheet and holding their nerve for a full paper. Each one returns a Standardised Age Score and a breakdown of where accuracy dropped under timed conditions.