Coombe Dean School Academy, opened in 1976, is a secondary school located on the outskirts of

Plymouth, Devon Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth' ...

, England. , it had 970 pupils. The school gained Specialist School status in September 2003. Ofsted awarded the school 'Outstanding' status in 2009 and 2012. However, in November 2018 the school received 'Requires Improvement'. As a high performing school, Coombe Dean was given the option to become an independent

academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

in 2010, which was actioned in September 2011. In 2004, work started on building a larger hall, an all-weather

AstroTurf AstroTurf is an American subsidiary of SportGroup that produces artificial turf for playing surfaces in sports. The original AstroTurf product was a short-pile synthetic turf invented in 1965 by Monsanto. Since the early 2000s, AstroTurf has ...

pitch and an extended Mathematics facility with eight new classrooms. A new English block with

geothermal heat pump A ground source heat pump (also geothermal heat pump) is a heating/cooling system for buildings that uses a type of heat pump to transfer heat to or from the ground, taking advantage of the relative constancy of temperatures of the earth through ...

was built in 2007 and renovations to the Technology block were completed in 2008. Also in July 2008, solar panels were integrated into the roof of the School Drama Hall. A new Post-16 block was built as an extension to the Art block in 2012, and an overhaul to the PE block was completed in the summer of 2013. The Science (C) block was renovated to a modern specification in 2013, and the Library (D) block has been updated and extended to incorporate an extended Student Services / Inclusion department (L block.) The school offers

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (commonly abbreviated DofE) is a youth awards programme founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, that has since expanded to 144 nations. The awards recognise adolescents and young ...

scheme and takes part in the annual

Ten Tors Ten Tors is an annual weekend hike in early May, on Dartmoor, southwest England. Organised by the British Army, starting in 1960, it brings together teams of six young people each, with the 2,400 young participants hiking to checkpoints on ten ...

event. Other applied learning events include; European exchange weeks, tall ships voyages and a sailing school. During the Easters of 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017, students from the school visited

Everest Base Camp There are two base camps on Mount Everest, on opposite sides of the mountains: South Base Camp is in Nepal at an altitude of (), while North Base Camp is in Tibet, China at (). The base camps are rudimentary campsites at the base of Mount Ev ...

to donate computer equipment and clothing to a Nepalese school.

References

External links

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Plymouth City Council Directory Listing
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1976 Academies in Plymouth, Devon 1976 establishments in England Secondary schools in Plymouth, Devon