How are places allocated at Devonport High School for Boys?
In mid-October, you'll receive your child's results. These will confirm whether your child has met the required standard for admission, and whether they are eligible to apply for a place (Category A), may be considered for the waiting list (Category B), or has not qualified (Category C).
If your child receives a Category A result, you must name Devonport High School for Boys on your common application form to be considered. This must be submitted to your local authority by Saturday 31st October 2026.
Places are allocated in a particular order. This is known as oversubscription criteria and is specific to each grammar school you apply to. Details are available in your target school's admissions policy.
Does Devonport High School for Boys have a catchment area?
Devonport High School for Boys does not have a catchment area. If your child meets the qualifying standard, they are eligible to apply for a place regardless of where they live.
If a tie-break is needed (for example, there is one place left and two children have the same score), the school uses a set of criteria to decide, including pupil premium eligibility, family connection to the school, the writing paper mark, and distance from the school.
If you don’t live close to the school, it’s important to think about how your child will get there every day. How long will the journey take? What transport options are available? Will they be travelling independently or with support?
A longer or more complex journey can affect your child’s daily routine, including how much time they have for homework, rest, and after-school activities.
It’s a good idea to think about how manageable the school run will be and whether it will work for your family day to day.
How can I help my child prepare for the test?
The Devonport High School for Boys entrance test can feel like a big milestone, but preparation doesn't have to be overwhelming. Here's how you can help your child prepare for test day.
Stay on track with a clear plan
One of the hardest parts of 11+ preparation is knowing what to focus on, when, and how to make steady progress without it taking over family life.
A clear, structured plan helps your child feel less overwhelmed and more in control. It ensures they build skills in the right order, cover everything they need, and avoid last-minute cramming.
Atom's exam plan makes this easier. Enter your child's target schools and exam dates, and we'll create a personalised weekly plan tailored to the topics they'll be tested on. It shows them what to work on and when, adapts as they improve, and helps them build progress in a calm, manageable way — little and often.
That means less guesswork for you, less stress for them, and a clearer path all the way to exam day.
Build smart exam technique
As your child's knowledge grows, practice tests can help them feel more comfortable with the real exam format.
Atom's 11+ practice papers are exact replicas of real 11+ exams. They're also unlimited — you can download the same paper again and again, and your child will get new questions each time. This helps them practise without repeating the same content.
We've made marking easy for you, too. Simply photograph your child's answer sheets and upload them to Atom. The papers are marked instantly, showing your child's standardised age score (SAS), where they're doing well, and what they should focus on next. You'll also learn how they compare to other children applying to the same school.
Encourage regular reading
Strong reading skills play a big role in 11+ preparation.
Encourage your child to read every day, even for just 10–15 minutes. The key is variety. Mix fiction and non-fiction, different genres, and a range of authors. This helps them become more confident in understanding tone, purpose, and meaning across different texts.
Over time, regular reading will:
- broaden their vocabulary
- improve comprehension and inference
- build confidence in tackling unseen texts
And just as importantly, it can help them enjoy reading — not just see it as exam preparation.
Looking for inspiration? Atom’s recommended reading lists have suggestions spanning fiction and non-fiction for Years 3–6.
Celebrate progress, not just scores
When you're supporting your child through 11+ preparation, what really matters is knowing they're moving in the right direction — not just how they scored on a single test.
Atom's progress tracking gives you a clear, simple picture of how your child is doing in each topic and the direction they're moving in. You can see where they're on track, where they might need more practice, and spot progress as it happens.
That makes it easier to give meaningful encouragement, keep motivation steady, and focus on what matters most: consistent improvement, not just one-off results.
