Devon Grammar Schools: Seven Schools and Four Entrance Routes

Searching for "Devon grammar schools" can produce a confusing answer. Devon County Council's 2027 admissions guide says Colyton is its only selective secondary school. Plymouth's parents' guide lists three grammar schools in its separate council area. Torbay Council handles another three grammar schools. That makes seven state-funded grammar schools across the wider Devon geography, but no single Devon-wide 11+ test.

For September 2027 entry, the tests and the on-time school-application deadlines have passed. A test result is not a place offer. If you have a result but did not submit a school application, use your home council's late-application process now; the relevant council decides how a late application is considered. If your child is in Year 5 in autumn 2026, you are generally planning for September 2028 entry. Read the 2027 arrangements below to understand the routes, then check fresh dates and policies before registering.

Which of the seven schools shares a test?

1. Colyton, its own route: Colyton Grammar School is the sole selective secondary school in Devon County Council's area. Its 2027-entry policy requires a school test registration and a separate application through the council where the child lives. A Colyton result is not a Plymouth or Torbay result.
2. Plymouth boys, their own route: Devonport High School for Boys runs its own entrance assessment. Its admissions FAQ describes English reading, mathematics and a school-set English writing paper for 2027 entry.
3. Plymouth girls, one shared sitting: Devonport High School for Girls and Plymouth High School for Girls use the same papers on the same days. Plymouth High's examination page says a child can sit at either school and later apply to either or both. She should register for the real test at one venue, not both: Devonport Girls says "Please do not register for both schools."
4. Torbay, one shared result: Torquay Boys' Grammar School, Torquay Girls' Grammar School and Churston Ferrers Grammar School use the same Torbay selection-test result. Torbay Council says a child sits the test once. Each school then applies its own policy. The Spires College also uses the result for a selective stream, but it is not an eighth grammar school.

The Devon County, Plymouth and Torbay directories group schools by local authority, so they show one, three and three schools respectively. Use those school guides for the individual admission numbers, eligibility and allocation rules. The Torbay shared-test guide covers that route separately.

What happened in the 2027-entry test cycle?

These dates are past examples, not a registration calendar for September 2028 entry.

• Colyton: its determined 2027-entry policy gave 12 September 2026 for the test and October for results. The school sets an eligible score from that year's test performance; the policy does not publish a fixed numeric pass mark. Eligible children are then ranked under the policy's priorities. Qualification alone did not guarantee a place.
• Plymouth boys: Devonport High School for Boys gave 12 and 19 September 2026 for its test days. Plymouth Council scheduled boys' results by post on 9 October. Its English writing paper means the girls' two-paper practice plan is not a complete match for this school.
• Plymouth girls: the published 2027 timeline gave 12 September for Quest English comprehension, without writing, 19 September for Quest mathematics and 15 October for emailed results. Sitting at one girls' school could support an application to either, but each school still ranked applicants under its own policy.
• Torbay: Torbay Council says all its selective schools use the same test results and children sit once. The 2027-entry timetable scheduled testing for 19 September 2026 and outcome notifications for 13 October or as soon as possible after. The results guide explains why school-specific guidance is not an offer and why a child may be eligible for one Torbay grammar but not another.

You cannot transfer a Colyton, Plymouth or Torbay result into another route merely because the schools are in the same wider county. Decide which schools to consider first, then find out which registration each one requires.

The school application is a separate step

For 2027 entry, Devon County Council, Plymouth City Council and Torbay Council all gave 31 October 2026 as the on-time secondary application closing date for their own residents. That date has passed by this article's publication. National Offer Day was set for 1 March 2027.

The rule is based on where your child lives, not which school they hope to attend. A Plymouth resident applying to Colyton or a Torbay grammar uses Plymouth's school application. A Devon County resident applying to a Plymouth school uses Devon's. Plymouth Council says out-of-area applicants should apply through their own council. Name each school you want considered on that form, in your genuine preference order. A test registration, score letter or school visit is not the council application.

If you missed your home council's on-time deadline, apply as soon as its late process allows. Plymouth opens late applications from 1 November; Torbay warns that applications after 31 October may be disadvantaged; Devon's admissions guide says a late application is treated as on time only if your reason for missing the closing date is accepted, such as illness or a house move, and otherwise it is considered after on-time applications. Check your own council's instructions rather than assuming a grammar test result extends the school-form deadline.

How to plan for September 2028 entry

Start with the schools you would actually name, then write one row per route in a family calendar: school test registration, any separate school information form, test days, results and your home council's application. The two Plymouth girls' schools share a sitting. Torbay's selective schools share one test and one set of results. Devonport Boys and Colyton each have their own registration, so no one registration covers every route. Plymouth High directs families to its next-cycle timeline. Check each school's current page again before acting. Devonport Girls publishes a separate timeline for September 2028 entry, which should be followed instead of reusing the 2027 dates above.

Match any practice to the published subjects for your route. For 2027 entry, Plymouth Boys included writing, the Plymouth girls' papers did not, and Torbay used a different shared assessment. Colyton's determined policy does not specify a provider or a fixed numeric threshold, so avoid buying a paper on an unsupported provider claim. Our guide to choosing an 11+ practice paper explains how to check that a paper suits the local format. A practice score cannot promise a qualifying result or an offer.

Common Devon 11+ questions

Why does the Devon County directory show only Colyton? It follows the Devon County Council boundary. Plymouth and Torbay run separate school-admissions systems within the wider geography. The Plymouth and Torbay directories contain their schools.

Can one 11+ registration cover all seven schools? No. The two Plymouth girls' schools share one sitting and Torbay's selective schools share another. Devonport Boys and Colyton each require their own school test arrangements. Register according to the schools you intend to name, using the correct entry year's instructions.

Does passing one test mean any of these schools must offer a place? No. Colyton's policy says an eligible score does not guarantee admission, and Plymouth Council says a preference is not a guarantee and that admission depends on a range of factors, including how many places are available. Torbay's result guidance can differ by school. The council makes a place offer after each named school has ranked eligible applications under its own policy.

Can a family outside Plymouth or Torbay apply to their grammar schools? Yes, through the council where the child lives, as Plymouth Council explains for its schools. Whether an application has priority depends on the chosen school's determined policy, address rules and the child's test result. Do not treat an approximate distance or a shared county name as an eligibility check.

For the broader question of which schools are near an address, use our grammar schools near me guide. Read the latest school policy and home-council admissions page before submitting either kind of form.