Primary Times - the definitive what’s on and where to go family guide of activities and events for children of primary school age. Things to do with your kids during the school holidays including arts and craft activities, music and theatre for children, parties, competitions, days out, and family attractions along with term time drama schools, dance classes, after school clubs and sports activities. Things to do at a place near you!
Open days and school transfers
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We know that this is a unique time in the school life of Year 6 pupils who are looking forward to their move to secondary but also may be nervous at the prospect of such a big change. With this in mind, the application process will be opening and schools across the region will shortly be hosting open events in order for you to have face-to-face visits with them and find out all the information you need to make the very important decision about which school your child, and you wish for them to attend.
There are other resources available that can help you and your family come to the right decision. Go to www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk to find the Progress 8 scores - this score shows how much progress pupils at a school make between the end of key stage 2 and the end of key stage 4. On the website you’ll also find league tables, statistics and the Ofsted rating for individual schools.
To find an Ofsted inspection report about an individual state-maintained school visit https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk. For independent schools, inspection reports can be found on the Independent Schools Inspectorate website by visiting www.isi.net.
Applying for a School: You’ll be asked to list three state schools in order of preference on your application form. Whether a place is offered will depend on the school’s admission process and if places are available. If you are considering applying to a local independent school, it will have its own separate admissions procedure.
Pupils Applying to Schools Outside Plymouth
If you live in Plymouth and want to apply to a school outside the boundaries of Plymouth City Council, in parts of Devon or Cornwall, for example, you will need to make an application via the Plymouth City Council School Admissions page detailed above who will then send details of your request to the appropriate local authority.
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The Application Process
Submit your application for a primary or secondary school place online.
Plymouth City Council Applications:
Primary, Infant and Junior School applications in Plymouth: The application system will be available from 16 November 2026 until 15 January 2027.
Secondary School applications in Plymouth: The application system will be available from 3 September 2026 until 31 October 2026.
Plymouth contacts:
- School Admissions: 01752 307469 (11am to 3pm)
- An online contact form can be found via www.plymouth.gov.uk/contact-school-admissions
- Online applications: www.plymouth.gov.uk/schooladmissions
Devon County Council Applications:
Primary School Applications: The online system will be available from 15th November 2026 until 15th January 2027
Secondary School Applications: The online system is available from 1st September 2026 until 31st October 2026.
Devon Contacts:
- Education helpline: 0345 155 1019
- Online applications: www.devon.gov.uk/educationandfamilies/school-information/apply-for-a-school-place
- Devon School Admissions Service Facebook page: www.facebook.com/DCCSchoolAdmissions
- You can search for information about a school in Devon at www.devon.gov.uk/schools
- Email: admissions@devon.gov.uk
Cornwall Council Applications
Reception/Transfer to Junior School Applications:
The online system will be available online between 1st September 2026 and 15th January 2027
Secondary School Applications:
The online system will be available from 1st September 2026 until 31 October 2026.
Cornwall Contacts:
- Education helpline: 0300 1234 101
- Online applications: www.cornwall.gov.uk/schools-and-education/schools-and-colleges/school-admissions/
- Email: schooladmissions@cornwall.gov.uk
Allocation Days
The dates when school places are officially confirmed are:
1st March 2027 – Secondary Schools
16th April 2027 – Primary Schools
Over the next few pages you will find a guide to many of the schools across the area…
Stoke Damerel Community College
“Stoke Damerel is a vibrant, forward-thinking school where we dream big. Our students, staff, and governors all agree that it’s a truly special place to learn—caring, happy, and ambitious. We have a fantastic teaching and support team who bring learning to life and encourage a lifelong love of discovery, both inside and outside the classroom. High expectations are at the heart of everything we do.
Central to our vibrant community is a rich character curriculum and an exciting list of extracurricular clubs, giving students endless opportunities to build confidence, resilience, and skills for the future. Friendships and healthy competition thrive through our fantastic House system, which works hand-in-hand with an inspiring rewards program to celebrate daily achievements, hard work, and kind behaviour.
We take great pride in our exceptional student support network, ensuring every young person has the guidance, care, and encouragement they need to feel safe and successful throughout their academic journey. We ensure that no child is left behind.
If your child is in Year 5, come along to our Open Evening on Wednesday 16th September from 6pm. See our school firsthand and discover how we’ll help them thrive.”
Scott Medical and Healthcare College
“Welcome to Scott Medical and Healthcare College, a specialist 14-19 college in Plymouth dedicated to giving your child an exceptional education. Through expert teaching, a rounded curriculum, and disruption-free classrooms, achieving outstanding GCSE and A-level results is a given. We mix high expectations with quality support to ensure every young person reaches their full potential.
While we prepare students for success in any field, we specialise in healthcare. We offer timetabled work experience, expert guest speakers, and in the sixth form, preparation for competitive medical applications, including UCAT coaching and mock interviews. Our innovative futures curriculum and exciting list of clubs are packed with activities that match our students' interests, helping them build skills and grow their confidence along the way.
A sense of community and healthy competition thrive within our fantastic House system, which pairs with a motivating rewards program to celebrate student achievements, hard work, and leadership daily. Wrapped around this is an exceptional support network, ensuring every individual receives tailored care and guidance.
Join our Open Evening on Wednesday 30th September from 6pm to experience our school firsthand and discover how we will help your child thrive and succeed.”
Hele’s School
“At Hele’s School, we are proud of our long-standing tradition of academic excellence, underpinned by a strong moral purpose, a deep commitment to inclusion, and a genuine belief in the potential of every child. We are passionate about education and dedicated to securing the very best life chances for all young people in our care.
From the moment your child joins us, they become part of Team Hele’s, a community built on our core expectations of ‘work hard, be kind and dream big’. These values shape daily life at Hele’s and create a calm, purposeful environment where students feel supported, challenged and inspired to succeed.
Our carefully designed and well-sequenced curriculum is both broad and ambitious. It provides a strong foundation in key subjects while offering rich opportunities for creativity, enquiry and personal development. Alongside this, an extensive enrichment programme – including sport, a thriving performing arts department, The Centre of Excellence, Duke of Edinburgh and an on-site Combined Cadet Force encompassing Army, Navy and RAF sections, as well as wider leadership opportunities and trips as far afield as Florida and Borneo – enables students to discover new interests, build confidence and develop the skills they need for the future.
We are equally committed to ensuring every child feels known and valued. High-quality pastoral care, a strong focus on wellbeing, and inclusive support systems ensure that all students can thrive, whatever their starting point. This holistic approach helps us develop young people who are not only successful academically, but also resilient, compassionate and ready to contribute positively to their communities.
Our success is reflected not only in outcomes and national recognition, including awards such as the World Class Schools Quality Mark, but also in the pride our students feel in being part of Hele’s School. As Ofsted recognised in our latest inspection, “Pupils are proud of their school. They have ‘pride in the badge’.”
Choosing a secondary school is one of the most important decisions you will make for your child. At Hele’s School, we are committed to making that journey exciting, supportive and successful from day one.
Hele’s School: a great place to learn, a great place to grow.”
Plymstock School
“At Plymstock School, we are a vibrant, diverse, inclusive and ambitious community where students, staff, parents and carers work together to ensure every young person has the opportunity to thrive. Inspired by our community, we celebrate the rich experiences, values and aspirations that shape who we are and guide our vision for excellence in both curriculum and culture.
Our school is underpinned by the simple but powerful values of Be Kind, Work Hard and Aim High. These values create a culture where students are encouraged to think carefully, act with integrity and take pride in their achievements. We believe that all young people deserve access to powerful knowledge, enabling them to understand, interpret and ultimately shape the world around them.
Through a broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum, supported by high expectations, strong pastoral care and a commitment to reading, we equip students with the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed for future success. Beyond the classroom, opportunities such as work experience, student leadership, educational visits and Challenge Week enrich learning and broaden horizons.
Together, inspired by our community and united by a shared ambition, we empower young people to become confident, compassionate and successful citizens who make a positive difference in modern Britain and beyond.”
Expand Your World at Plympton Academy
“At Plympton Academy, education goes beyond academics - it is about personal growth, exploring new possibilities and embracing the diverse perspectives that shape our world.
We equip students to take pride in their achievements and pursue their ambitions within a supportive community strengthened by collaboration. Innovation, opportunity and resilience are at the heart of our approach, underpinned by our core values of Community, Courage, Compassion and Curiosity.
These principles guide every learner as they discover, challenge and achieve both in and beyond the classroom. At Plympton Academy, every student is encouraged to step beyond their comfort zone and expand their world.
Discover more about Plympton Academy and our Sixth Form on our website: www.plympton.academy
Saltash Community School
“At Saltash Community School, we do things differently. As a true community school, we combine high standards and strong expectations with warmth, fairness, and a commitment to giving children an educational experience that they will remember.
Our ‘TEAM’ values are at the heart of everything we do, helping students develop the confidence, character and ambition they need to succeed. We expect students to work hard, aim high and achieve excellent results, while enjoying exciting opportunities built into the school day. From sailing and surfing to Duke of Edinburgh, our award-winning school choir and Young Enterprise, enrichment is part of everyday life at Saltash – just look at our Wednesday afternoon ‘Broad Horizons’ programme to see what we do.
We believe every family deserves an exceptional local school, where every child is known, supported and challenged to be their very best. A child’s future is shaped by their education, and we ensure everyone has the opportunity to achieve, thrive and succeed.
Saltash Community School – exceptional education, ambitious futures, and closer than you think.
Think we could be the school for you? We’d love to see you at our Open Evening on Thursday 17th September.”
All Saints Academy Plymouth
“At All Saints Academy Plymouth, we believe education should be truly transformational, enabling every child, family and our wider community to flourish. Our most recent Ofsted inspection judged the school to be Good in all areas, recognising the strength of our teaching, care and ambition for every student. What makes All Saints special is our commitment to developing the whole child. Through our outstanding personal development programme and ASAP Pledges, students experience opportunities that build confidence, character, leadership, resilience and aspiration, helping every young person develop as an individual, not simply as a learner. We are proud of the high progress achieved across the whole school, with outcomes continuing to place us above national average. Our nationally recognised engineering programme, strengthened through partnerships with Babcock, Princess Yachts and Plymouth Citybus, provides authentic opportunities to apply skills. Our Greenpower team travels across the country, competing and showcasing the talents of our young engineers. Our Community Hub supports families and our local community through coffee mornings, external agency support and a warm, welcoming space for those who need it. Guided by our school values of Love, Legacy and Bravery, we put children at the heart of everything we do, providing them with a future they have not yet imagined through our relentless work to ensure every child succeeds.
Here are some useful resources regarding school phase transition
- The Young Minds website has a special webpage with resources to help pupils, schools, parents and carers to manage changes and transitions throughout their time at school: Find out more at https://www.youngminds.org.uk/professional/resources/supporting-school-transitions
- The Anna Freud website features an animation and accompanying teacher toolkit aimed at supporting pupils who have recently started Year 7 or who will be preparing to transition to secondary school which have been developed in collaboration with young people, teachers and mental health experts. Find out more at www.annafreud.org
- The BBC Bitesize website has a section which provides advice for parents who have a child starting secondary school with tips on the emotional and practical sides of the transition. See more at www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize
No Worries: Your Guide to Starting Secondary School by Jenny Alexander has practical hints and tips, jokes and quizzes for the upcoming transition
Go Big: The Secondary School Survival Guide by Matthew Burton is a bestselling book written by a headteacher and aims to take children through their entire secondary school journey.
Here are some useful resources regarding school phase transition
- The Young Minds website has a special webpage with resources to help pupils, schools, parents and carers to manage changes and transitions throughout their time at school: Find out more at https://www.youngminds.org.uk/professional/resources/supporting-school-transitions
- The Anna Freud website features an animation and accompanying teacher toolkit aimed at supporting pupils who have recently started Year 7 or who will be preparing to transition to secondary school which have been developed in collaboration with young people, teachers and mental health experts. Find out more at www.annafreud.org
- The BBC Bitesize website has a section which provides advice for parents who have a child starting secondary school with tips on the emotional and practical sides of the transition. See more at www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize
No Worries: Your Guide to Starting Secondary School by Jenny Alexander has practical hints and tips, jokes and quizzes for the upcoming transition
Go Big: The Secondary School Survival Guide by Matthew Burton is a bestselling book written by a headteacher and aims to take children through their entire secondary school journey.
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