February 11, 2026 11:20am
The Department for Education (DfE) recently visited Plympton Academy and were impressed with the ‘courtesy and determination’ of the students.
As part of the DfE’s Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) programme, the school received a visit to see the considerable progress which had been made by the leadership team.
While touring the school, Dr Tim Coulson CBE, a member of the regional RISE team who work to support school improvement, sat in on many different lessons during the day.
Together, the team observed the high quality of education which children can experience at Plympton Academy and in his letter to headteacher Shaun Willis, Dr Coulson said it was a ‘delight’ to talk with staff who saw ‘a team who want the best for young people’.
Reflecting on this positive visit, Shaun was pleased with the efforts of his colleagues and wanted to thank them for their hard work in delivering positive change.
“I’m so proud of our community of staff and students who demonstrated with compassion the outstanding progress we’ve made together”, he said.
“The RISE team were able to see the curiosity of our students in action and how we encourage them to be bold and courageous in their aspirations”, Shaun added.
The DfE’s RISE team focus on elevating standards, narrowing attainment gaps and fostering collaboration to support leaders at schools across the country.