About Plymouth College

Plymouth College is a HMC independent day and boarding school for boys and girls aged 3 to 18. We are based in the very heart of Plymouth, known as Britain’s Ocean City, just a few minutes away from some of the world’s best coastline to the south and the beautiful countryside of Dartmoor National Park to the north. Furthermore, we have access to all the wonderful cultural and leisure facilities one might expect of a thriving city, including a wide variety of restaurants, cinemas, theatres, museums and sporting facilities. Indeed, Plymouth has been named in Conde Nast Traveller as one of the world's top 3-holiday destinations for 2020. 

An Excellent Education

We have been providing an excellent education to pupils from Plymouth, all over the UK and around the world since we were founded in 1877. Indeed, our most recent ISI inspection concluded that the quality of our education provision was excellent in every respect. Our original school motto is ‘Dat Deus Incrementum’ – God Gives The Increase. Our contemporary interpretation of this is ‘Plymouth College: Where Everything Is Possible’, reflecting our positive, can-do, growth mindset and our holistic educational ethos.

Our mission is to Educate, Enrich and Empower our pupils so that they develop into rounded, grounded, interesting, happy and confident young adults. Our pupils achieve fantastic exam results – our pupil progress / value-added figures are the best in the region – and experience outstanding personal development, ensuring that they secure places in Oxford, Cambridge, Russell Group and world-leading universities or top-flight apprenticeships.

Small Class Sizes

Bespoke Teaching

Leading Pastoral Care

Over 60 Co-Curricular Activities

Best Added Value Scores in Plymouth and Top Five in Devon

Pupils from Over 30 Countries

Leaders in Performance Sport - Producing Olympic Athletes

The Plymouth College Principles

We offer a values-based education, in which the Plymouth College Principles are embodied:

Plymouth College at a glance 

• Pupils are at the heart of all we do and we provide a holistic education that inspires excellence and empowers pupils to believe that everything is possible. 
• We welcome students from all over the world looking for a British boarding school education, plus flexible boarding options for families living a little closer. 
• We have a unique community of pupils who form lifelong friendships in a safe environment that values their wellbeing, happiness and personal development as much as their academic performance.   
• Small class sizes enable our talented teachers to deliver bespoke learning to each and every pupil.
• We maintain the best performance scores in the city and some of the highest in Devon and Cornwall, meaning our pupils exceed their potential and achieve excellent exam results. 
• Pupils progress to Oxford, Cambridge and other Russell Group and world-leading universities. 
• There is access to over 60 co-curricular activities - everything from Young Enterprise to Photography. There is something for everyone. 
• We have an international reputation for sporting excellence with access to leading coaches and facilities, developing Olympic athletes of the future. We also have partnerships with Plymouth Leander Swimming Club, Plymouth Argyle Football Club, Plymouth Fencing Club and Plymouth Raiders Basketball Club. 

Ultimately, our ambition is for our pupils to emerge from Plymouth College education with not just fantastic exam results but as rounded, grounded, happy and confident young people. 

“Having Joined Plymouth College in Year 7, I can say with confidence that I had the best 6 years at the School.

New students are encouraged not only by the staff but also by their peers, which creates a really strong sense of community.

The Schools ability to encourage, support and recognise the success of students in all capacities enables them to reach their full potential.”
Laura C, now reading History at the University of Bristol. 

Plymouth College Alumni Leaders and Champions

Examples of our alumni who have gone on to become leaders and champions in their fields:

Tom Daley
World Champion/
Olympic Diver

Henry Slade 
English Rugby Union Player

Ruta Meilutyte
World Champion/
Olympic Swimmer

Michael Ball
Actor, Singer & Broadcaster

Richard Deacon
British Sculptor/Turner Prize Winner

Dawn French
Actress, Writer & Comedian

Michael Foot
British Politician

Hugh Montgomery
Professor of Intensive Care Medicine 

Paul Seymour
Professor of Mathematics

Discover more about Plymouth College Alumni

Pupils benefit from small class sizes throughout the school because teaching is sharply focused on the needs of the individual.

ISI, January 2019