Plympton AcademyHele's School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Plymouth.
Summary of the comparison
Plympton Academy and Hele's School are secondary schools in Plymouth.
Plympton Academy scores 42 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and Hele's School scores 59 out of 100 (grade C, average). Hele's School is ahead on our composite score.
Plympton Academy was judged Requires improvement and Hele's School was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 45.8 for Plympton Academy and 52.4 for Hele's School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has held broadly level at Plympton Academy (44.2 in 2021-22, 45.8 in 2025-26) and has risen at Hele's School (47.8 in 2021-22, 52.4 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | PlymouthPlympton Academy | PlymouthHele's School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D42/100 | C59/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 16th of 18 in Plymouth | 7th of 18 in Plymouth Stronger figure | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Requires improvement | Ofsted: GoodStronger figure | |
| School type | Academy converter | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-18 | 11-18 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 984 | 1,378 | |
| Capacity | 1,350 | 1,349 | |
| Location | Plymouth, PL7 2RS | Plymouth, PL7 4LT | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 45.8 | 52.4 Stronger figure | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 45.9% | 64.4% Stronger figure | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 70.2% | 83.5% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 181 | 236 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | 42 | 111 | |
| A-level average points | 28.4 | 33.7 Stronger figure | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | C | C+ | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | 32.1 | 32.9 Stronger figure | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | 0.0% | 10.6% Stronger figure | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,078 | 1,393 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 22.0% | 16.9% | |
| English as an additional language | 2.4% | 4.5% | |
| SEN support | 6.9% | 14.1% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 2.7% | 3.2% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 10.6% | 8.0% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 28.0% | 19.8% Stronger figure | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
A-level average points
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Plympton Academy
Hele's School
Full profiles: Plympton Academy · Hele's School