| Established | 1658 |
|---|---|
| Type | Academy |
| Principal | Andrew Birkett |
| Specialisms | Language Maths & Computing Applied learning |
| Location | Plympton Plymouth Devon PL7 4LT England |
| DfE URN | 136557 |
| Ofsted | Reports Pre-Academy Reports |
| Students | 1,389 |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Website | www.heles.plymouth.sch.uk |
Hele's School, formerly Plympton Grammar School, is a state secondary school and Sixth Form in the Plympton district of Plymouth, England, 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Plymouth city centre. Until 31 March 2011, Hele’s was a community school funded by the Local Education Authority (LEA), which is Plymouth City Council. From 1 April 2011, Hele's became an Academy, which among other things gives the school financial and educational independence.[1]
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In September 2000, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) designated the school as a specialist Language College. The school has also been designated as a Mathematics and Computing College and has also taken on applied learning specialism.[2]
In June 2010, the government wrote to all schools that had been judged as 'outstanding' by Ofsted, inviting their Governing Bodies to consider converting to Academy status. The Governors of Hele's School consulted with parents and unanimously voted to apply to become an Academy, effective from 1 April 2011.[3]
Hele's (pronounced "heals") School was founded (under the name Plympton Grammar School) in 1658 with a bequest made by Elize Hele, after whom the school was re-named when it became a state comprehensive in 1983. Hele's bequest which was overseen by Sir John Maynard also led to the founding of The Maynard School and Hele's School, Exeter. In 1715, the Reverend Samuel Reynolds was appointed as head master and his son, Joshua, the painter, attended the school.[4] It was previously located at Castle Barbican in Plympton St. Maurice, but moved to its present position on Seymour Road in 1937.[5]
Students have attained places on the Prime Minister's Global Fellowship programme. The school achieved its first student in the inaugural year of the programme, 2008, and in 2009 had another successful applicant.[6]