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School profile Record updated 27 October 2026

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent 11+

St Joseph's College

London Road, Trent Vale, ST4 5NT

A selective co-educational grammar school in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,132 pupils on roll.

Grammar school Co-ed Academy converter Ages 11-18 Sixth form St Joseph’s College Entrance Test
2025–2026 GCSE rank ?
UK Rank #140
Year 7 places
150
Competition ?
Moderate (estimated)
Ofsted ?
Outstanding
11+ route
St Joseph’s College Entrance Test
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On this page

At a glance

Key facts

2025–2026 GCSE rank ?
UK Rank #140
Sector
Grammar school
Admissions
Mixed
Assessment
St Joseph’s College Entrance Test
Places in Year 7
150
Competition ?
Moderate (estimated)
Catchment
You can apply from any area. There is no defined catchment or local-priority area, although distance may still affect allocation or a tie-break.
Ofsted ?
Outstanding

Overview

St Joseph's College is a selective Catholic school in Trent Vale, Stoke-on-Trent, founded by the Christian Brothers in 1932. Its history and ethos are closely tied to Blessed Edmund Rice, with the school describing its mission as educating the whole person in a caring, nurturing and stimulating environment.

The Catholic character is not just ceremonial in the way the school presents itself. St Joseph's says it aims to develop intellectual, creative, physical, spiritual and religious potential, with integrity, justice, service and respect running through school life. The curriculum is described as knowledge-engaged, broad and balanced, with retrieval practice, high expectations and careful sequencing.

In Key Stage 3, pupils study English, mathematics, science, RE with RSE, French, Spanish, geography, history, art, design technology, music, drama, PE, computing and personal development. Most Key Stage 4 pupils follow the English Baccalaureate pathway, while the sixth form is strongly academic, mainly A-level based and complemented by specialist Level 3 courses. Co-curricular life includes sport, music, drama, student leadership, volunteering, community service and international charitable links, including Sierra Leone.

Year 7 has 150 places. The entrance test is made up of standardised verbal and non-verbal reasoning papers, and pupils need an age-adjusted score of 105 before applying through the school's Catholic, Christian and other priority groups. The school site also highlights an Ofsted Outstanding judgement, 80% grade 5+ in English and maths on its results panel, and strong EBacc entry.

Key points
Assessment route
St Joseph’s College Entrance Test: 2 papers, covering Verbal reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning.
Places and demand
150 places in Year 7 and Moderate (estimated)
Catchment
You can apply from any area. There is no defined catchment or local-priority area, although distance may still affect allocation or a tie-break.
Results
84% grade 5+ in English and maths and 63.6 Attainment 8
Sixth form
Sixth form available with 16% AAB or better and 81.9% in higher education.

GCSE benchmark

Latest 2025/26 KS4 measures compared with Stoke-on-Trent and England.

School Local authority England
GCSE benchmark comparison Latest GCSE benchmark measures for St Joseph's College, Stoke-on-Trent, and England. 0 50 100 Att. 8 5+ E&M
Attainment 8
63.6
Grade 5+ English and maths
84%

Attainment 8 trend

Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Stoke-on-Trent and England.

School Local authority England
Attainment 8 trend line Attainment 8 over time for St Joseph's College, Stoke-on-Trent, and England. 80 60 40 20 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25 25/26

Destinations

Latest 2024/25 Year 11 destination mix compared with Stoke-on-Trent and England.

Education Apprenticeships Employment Other / unknown
Destinations stacked bar comparison Year 11 destinations for St Joseph's College, Stoke-on-Trent, and England across education, apprenticeships, employment, and other or unknown destinations. 0 50 100 School Local auth. England

School details
Sector
Grammar school
School type
Academy converter
Application
Local authority CAF
Gender
Mixed
Age range
11-18
Headteacher
Mrs Charlotte Slattery
Pupil roll
1,104 pupils
Sixth form
Yes
Trust
The Laetare Catholic Multi Academy Trust
FSM ?
8.6%
EAL ?
26.8%
EHCP ?
0.8%

School statistics

Ethnicity

Pupil ethnicity

Whole-school roll of 1,104 pupils; 1,101 had a recorded ethnic group.

White 43.4% Asian 36.5% Mixed 5.3% Black 12.3% Other 2.3% Unclassified 0.3%

Location and contact

Address

Address
London Road, Trent Vale, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
Postcode
ST4 5NT
Area
Stoke-on-Trent
Exam area
Stoke-on-Trent 11+

School leadership

Headteacher
Mrs Charlotte Slattery

School contact

School email
sjcollege@stjosephsmail.com
School phone
01782848008

Admissions contact

Admissions team
Admissions
Admissions email
admissions@stjosephsmail.com
Admissions phone
01782848008
Open in Map Open school website

Admissions
Year 7 places
150 places
Applications listed
438 applications (2026 entry)
First preferences
285 first preferences (2026 entry)
Competition ?
Moderate (estimated)
Catchment
You can apply from any area. There is no defined catchment or local-priority area, although distance may still affect allocation or a tie-break.
Published score threshold
105 (2027 entry)
Pass mark note
For 2027 entry, pupils must reach an age-adjusted average score of 105. Scores of 104 or 103 are re-marked, and 105 is a qualifying threshold rather than an offer cut-off score.

Children must first reach the age-adjusted qualifying score of 105. After that, St Joseph's allocates places through its Catholic, Christian, and other published priority groups rather than by continuing to rank test scores.

There is no designated catchment area; applications are considered regardless of local-authority area.

Oversubscription and eligibility

  1. 1

    Baptised Catholic looked-after and previously looked-after children

    This is the highest Year 7 category once the child has reached the required mark in the entrance test.

  2. 2

    Other Baptised Catholic children in the published Catholic priority order

    The next Catholic categories cover siblings, children of staff, and then other Baptised Catholic applicants. These categories normally account for up to 125 places, with Pupil Premium priority operating within the Catholic order.

  3. 3

    Christian applicants in the published Christian priority order

    The Christian categories then cover looked-after children, siblings, children of staff, and other Christian applicants. These categories normally account for 18 places unless unused Catholic places are released.

  4. 4

    Other non-Christian or no-faith applicants

    Remaining places follow the non-Christian priority categories. If a final tie remains within a category, straight-line distance from the permanent home address to the college is used, followed by random allocation if needed.

Admissions policy

Admissions criteria 2027-2028

2027 entry

Exam and test format
September 2027 entry

Two multiple-choice reasoning papers.

Format
Multiple choice
Scores
Age-standardised

Papers and timings

  • Verbal reasoning Multiple choice
    50 min
  • Non-verbal reasoning Multiple choice
    40 min

What the test includes

  • Verbal reasoning
  • Non-verbal reasoning
Official test guidance

Official exam resources

Past papers and practice materials

No released past entrance-test papers are currently verified here. The resources below are labelled by type.

Application

Key dates

Get date reminders
Find open days and plan a visit

  1. Registration opens

    29 June 2026

    Past

  2. Registration closes

    2 September 2026

    Past

  3. Entrance test day one

    15 September 2026

    Past

  4. Entrance test day two

    16 September 2026

    Past

  5. Entrance test day three

    17 September 2026

    Past

  6. National offer day

    1 March 2027

  7. Entrance test outcome

    By 13 October 2026

  8. School application and CAF deadline

    31 October 2026

    Past

    Complete both the school application and your home local authority application.

  9. Late entrance-test registration deadline

    28 September 2026

    Past

    Registration closes at 4pm.

  10. Late entrance test

    7 October 2026

    Past

How to apply

  1. 1

    Register for the entrance test

    Registration opens from 29 June 2026 and closes on 2 September 2026.

    Open admissions page
  2. 2

    Sit the entrance test

    The 2027 entry test is scheduled across 15, 16 and 17 September 2026.

    Open step
  3. 3

    Complete the application after qualification

    Pupils who reach 105 or above receive the online application link and any required faith-form instructions.

    Open step

Official admissions documents

Admissions policy

Admissions criteria 2027-2028

2027 entry

Results

Inspection
View report
Outstanding

Latest inspection: 5 February 2014

Quality of education
Outstanding
Behaviour and attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Outstanding
Sixth form provision
Outstanding

Quick summary

  • Overall effectiveness: St Joseph's College is recorded as Outstanding, and the 2025 report is very strong across the inspected areas. Inspectors describe a school shaped by its head, hand, heart motto, with pupils thriving academically, socially, spiritually and morally.
  • Quality of education: The curriculum is carefully sequenced so pupils build knowledge over time, with most studying the English Baccalaureate suite of subjects. Teachers check understanding purposefully, address misconceptions and help pupils make lasting links within and across subjects.
  • Behaviour and attitudes: Behaviour is described as exemplary. Pupils rise to the school's high expectations, actively uphold its ethos and values, and contribute to a strong culture of acceptance and inclusion where pupils and sixth-form students are confident, respectful and kind.
  • Personal development: Personal development is broad and purposeful. Pupils take part in retreats abroad, hear high-quality external speakers, join clubs and trips, learn about healthy relationships and online safety, and receive exceptional careers education linked to qualifications, skills and subject interests.
  • Leadership and management: Governance is described as a real strength, with governors bringing an accurate view of the school and useful expertise. Leaders support staff workload and well-being, prioritise reading, and set high expectations for pupils with SEND through transition and training.
  • Sixth form provision: Sixth-form students follow a broad, inclusive and challenging curriculum that builds knowledge and skills over time. They are encouraged to serve others by mentoring younger pupils or supporting community projects, and the report says all access their desired next step.

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Area and ranking pages

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Best Grammar Schools in the UK

Explore the best grammar schools in the UK with a national ranking that can be filtered by county, school type, and Ofsted before moving into local admissions detail.

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Guides and related reading

Related guides are still being added.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Which entrance tests does St Joseph's College use?

For September 2027 entry, St Joseph's College uses St Joseph’s College Entrance Test. Check the named test and any alternative or later-stage requirements in the admissions policy.

How do I apply to St Joseph's College?

1. Register for the entrance test: Registration opens from 29 June 2026 and closes on 2 September 2026. 2. Sit the entrance test: The 2027 entry test is scheduled across 15, 16 and 17 September 2026. 3. Complete the application after qualification: Pupils who reach 105 or above receive the online application link and any required faith-form instructions.

When are the key dates for St Joseph's College?

Registration opens: 29 June 2026. Registration closes: 2 September 2026. Entrance test day one: 15 September 2026. Entrance test day two: 16 September 2026. Entrance test day three: 17 September 2026. National offer day: 1 March 2027. Entrance test outcome: By 13 October 2026. School application and CAF deadline: 31 October 2026. Late entrance-test registration deadline: 28 September 2026. Late entrance test: 7 October 2026

What does the latest inspection picture look like for St Joseph's College?

St Joseph's College is currently rated Outstanding following the latest published inspection dated 5 February 2014.