Education and training

The Education Service in Plymouth has been nationally assessed as high performing, and the City Council is aiming to continue this success by providing high quality learning opportunities for all its residents.

Key education objectives for the City Council over the next three years include improving the quality of school buildings, extending inclusive educational opportunities for pupils with special needs, raising pupil attainment and ensuring there are a range of formal and informal curriculum opportunities available to young people.

Currently, nearly 40,000 young people, from the youngest nursery pupils to sixth form students, are supported by the city’s Education and Learning Service.

Plymouth is well served by the higher education establishments. The University of Plymouth, with 26,000 full-time students and a further 6,000 at partner colleges, offers a dynamic and innovative approach to learning, and has recently been recognised by the Government as one of the country’s top universities for teaching excellence, securing an £18 million in funding over the next five years

University College Plymouth St Mark and St John (Marjon) has received Taught Degree Awarding Powers, providing it with university college status and the ability to accredit its own degrees (previously awarded by the University of Exeter), and has been ranked by the Sunday Times University Guide as

• top 5 overall amongst University Colleges
• excellent for courses in: Management and Public Relations; Hospitality, Leisure, Recreation, Sport and Tourism; Philosophy; and Sociology

Plymouth College of Art and Design is one of the few remaining specialist colleges of art and design in the country.

City College Plymouth (formerly known as Plymouth College of Further Education) also provides a wide range of training activities and consultancy services to businesses.

Established in 2000, the Peninsula Medical School has seven sites in Devon and Cornwall, three of which (including its head office) are in Plymouth, and the School has recently been successful in its dental school bid, having been selected from an intense national competition to create the Peninsula Dental School. The Peninsula Radiology Academy is one of three pilot radiology academy sites being developed by the Department of Health in the UK (the other two being in Norwich and Leeds).