, founded 1658, built 1664, attended by Joshua Reynolds whose father was headmaster Hele's School traces its origins to the legacy of
Elize Hele (1560–1635), a lawyer and philanthropist from
Brixton, Devon, who left his estate to fund charitable and educational purposes. His trustees established several schools in the
South West, including a
Grammar school in Plympton. The original Plympton Grammar School building, completed in 1671 in Plympton St Maurice, still stands today. It is a
Grade II* listed building. Next to it was the schoolmaster's house, where the painter Sir
Joshua Reynolds was born. The grammar school produced several notable artists, including Reynolds,
James Northcote,
Benjamin Haydon, and Sir
Charles Eastlake. The school closed in 1903 due to financial difficulties but was re-established in 1921 by Devon County Council as Plympton Grammar School. It moved to its current site on Seymour Road in 1937. In 1983, following a period of expansion and reorganisation, it became an 11-18 co-educational comprehensive school and was renamed Hele's School. In the early 2000s, Hele's held specialist status in Languages, Mathematics and Computing, and Applied Learning, gaining recognition as a
Language College. The school converted to academy status in April 2011, initially as a stand-alone academy trust - 'Hele's Trust' - before joining the Westcountry Schools Trust (WeST) in September 2017. ==Prime Minister's Global Fellowship==