Plymouth High School for Girls Awarded National Thinking School Status

We are thrilled to announce that Plymouth High School for Girls has been formally accredited as a Thinking School by the University of Exeter, recognising our deep and sustained commitment to cognitive education and whole-school thinking.

This prestigious recognition reflects years of purposeful work across our entire school community to embed a culture where thinking is visible, valued, and actively developed. At the heart of our approach are visual tools, high-quality questioning, metacognitive strategies, and the nurturing of key thinking dispositions such as reflection, curiosity and perseverance.

The accreditation report praised our strong leadership, rich professional development, and a shared commitment to making learning meaningful. It acknowledged the clarity of our vision, the strength of our partnerships, and the way thinking is not simply a ‘bolt-on’, but a core part of everyday teaching, learning and school life.

Plymouth High is proud to be a place where students are supported not only to achieve highly, but to become confident, compassionate, and reflective thinkers – truly learning ‘for life, not school’. We are grateful to our staff, governors, students and families for supporting this journey. While accreditation marks a milestone, our commitment to thinking and learning continues to evolve and grow.