Best Devon & Torbay Grammar Schools 2026/27

This page covers six state grammar schools: Torquay Boys' Grammar School and Torquay Grammar School for Girls in Torbay; Colyton Grammar School in Colyford, East Devon; and Plymouth High School for Girls, Devonport High School for Boys and Devonport High School for Girls in Plymouth. There is no single county-wide 11+ — they split into three separate testing areas.

No. There are three different systems. Torbay (Torquay Boys' and Torquay Girls') runs a shared GL Assessment test in English and Maths. Colyton Grammar School sets its own test of English, Maths and Creative Writing. The three Plymouth grammars use Quest Assessments. You register separately for whichever area you want, and you can apply across more than one area if you wish.

Torquay Boys' Grammar School and Torquay Grammar School for Girls use a common test produced by GL Assessment, with two papers (English and Maths) of about 50 minutes each. There is no fixed published pass mark; children working in roughly the top 25% of their age group should be able to cope, and candidates are ranked by standardised score for the allocation of places.

Colyton runs its own entrance test covering English, Maths and Creative Writing — it deliberately does not include verbal or non-verbal reasoning, and uses Quest Assessments materials. Colyton does not publish a fixed pass mark: it standardises every candidate's score and offers places to the highest scorers up to its number of available places (around 160), so the effective threshold depends on the strength of each year's cohort. There are no commercial practice papers for this exact test, so familiarisation and strong English and Maths foundations matter most.

Plymouth High School for Girls, Devonport High School for Boys and Devonport High School for Girls all use Quest Assessments from 2026. Children sit two papers on two Saturdays: an English comprehension paper (no extended writing) and a Maths paper. You register at just one of the schools — the same test result is used across all three Plymouth grammars — and selection is by standardised performance on the papers.

Torbay: registration opens 1 March 2026 (preferred deadline 15 July 2026, final midday 4 September 2026); test Saturday 19 September 2026. Colyton: registration 31 March to 31 July 2026; test Saturday 12 September 2026. Plymouth: registration opens 27 April 2026 and closes 31 August 2026; tests Saturday 12 September 2026 (English) and Saturday 19 September 2026 (Maths). Results are issued in October 2026, the council Common Application Form is due by 31 October 2026, and offers are made on 1 March 2027.

Yes. Registering for an 11+ test is not an application for a school place. After you receive your results, you must name the school(s) on your home local authority's secondary Common Application Form by 31 October 2026. If you sit the test but do not submit the council form, your child cannot be offered a place; equally, naming a school without a valid test score means there is no result to consider.

Grammar places are decided first on reaching the required standard in the test, then on each school's oversubscription criteria. Colyton and the Torbay and Plymouth grammars draw pupils from a wide area and do not operate as strictly catchment-only schools, but when more qualified children apply than there are places, criteria such as looked-after children, siblings and home-to-school distance are used as tie-breakers. Always check the specific admissions policy for the school and entry year, as priority areas and rules vary.

Torquay Boys' Grammar School and Devonport High School for Boys are boys' schools. Torquay Grammar School for Girls, Plymouth High School for Girls and Devonport High School for Girls are girls' schools. Colyton Grammar School is co-educational. All six have sixth forms, several of which admit students of both sexes — check each school for details.

By results and inspection, Colyton Grammar School stands out: it is rated Ofsted Outstanding and is regularly ranked among the very top state schools in England and the best in the South West, with an exceptionally high Progress 8 score. That said, the Torbay and Plymouth grammars are all rated Ofsted Good with strong outcomes, and the right choice depends on location, single-sex or co-ed preference, and which test best suits your child.

Start with the official free familiarisation materials for the right provider — GL for Torbay and Quest Assessments for Colyton and Plymouth — so your child knows the format, and remember Colyton also tests creative writing. Build secure English and Maths foundations, practise working accurately to time, and use realistic mock papers to develop exam technique. Prep4All's 11+ practice papers help children rehearse the question styles and timing used across the Devon grammars so the real test feels familiar.