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.
St Joseph's College
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On this page
At a glance
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.
Latest 2024/25 KS4 measures compared with Stoke-on-Trent and England.
Recent published Attainment 8 scores compared with Stoke-on-Trent and England.
Latest 2024/25 Year 11 destination mix compared with Stoke-on-Trent and England.
January 2025 school census
Whole-school roll of 1,132 pupils; 1,129 had a recorded ethnic group.
| Recorded group | Share | Category | Pupils |
|---|---|---|---|
| White British | 40.5% | White | 459 |
| Indian | 14.9% | Asian | 169 |
| Any other Asian background | 13.3% | Asian | 151 |
| African | 8.9% | Black | 101 |
| Any other White background | 5.1% | White | 58 |
| Pakistani | 4.2% | Asian | 48 |
| White and Asian | 2.5% | Mixed | 28 |
| Any other mixed background | 2.4% | Mixed | 27 |
| Any other Black background | 2.3% | Black | 26 |
| Any other ethnic group | 1.9% | Other | 21 |
| Chinese | 1.4% | Asian | 16 |
| Bangladeshi | 1% | Asian | 11 |
| White and Black African | 0.6% | Mixed | 7 |
| White and Black Caribbean | 0.4% | Mixed | 5 |
| Unclassified | 0.3% | Unclassified | 3 |
| Irish | 0.2% | White | 2 |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
St Joseph's College uses a school-specific 11+ route built around age-standardised verbal and non-verbal reasoning papers. The entrance test decides whether a child reaches the qualifying score of 105, but places are then allocated through the published faith-based oversubscription categories rather than by continuing to rank test scores.
Paper 1
Verbal reasoning
Verbal reasoning paper
Standardised verbal reasoning paper. The school page describes this paper as 50 minutes long.
Paper 2
Non-verbal reasoning
Non-verbal reasoning paper
Standardised non-verbal reasoning paper. The school page describes this paper as 40 minutes long.
Verbal reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning are included in the published format.
English, Maths and Science are not listed in the current published format.
Verbal reasoning
Standardised verbal reasoning paper. The school page describes this paper as 50 minutes long.
Non-verbal reasoning
Standardised non-verbal reasoning paper. The school page describes this paper as 40 minutes long.
English
Maths
Science
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
Register for the entrance test
Registration opens from 29 June 2026 and closes on 2 September 2026.
Open admissions pageSit the entrance test
The 2027 entry test is scheduled across 15, 16 and 17 September 2026.
Open stepComplete the application after qualification
Pupils who reach 105 or above receive the online application link and any required faith-form instructions.
Open stepLatest official destinations data currently covers 2022/23 study leavers.
Recent trend
This follows the school's published overall GCSE score across the subjects pupils take. Higher is better.
| Year | This school | Grammar schools | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 64.8 | 74.2 | 49.4 |
| 2022/23 | 64.5 | 71.8 | 47.0 |
| 2023/24 | 62 | 72.1 | 46.7 |
| 2024/25 | 62.4 | 72.3 | 46.8 |
Recent trend
This follows the published average A-level result for the school's sixth form. Higher is better.
| Year | This school | Grammar schools | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | B average (38.4 points) | 44.0 points | 37.5 points |
| 2022/23 | C+ average (33.9 points) | 40.5 points | 33.7 points |
| 2023/24 | C+ average (33.7 points) | 41.3 points | 34.5 points |
| 2024/25 | C+ average (33.9 points) | 41.8 points | 35.0 points |
Recent trend
This follows the share of pupils moving into a sustained destination after Year 11, such as education, apprenticeships, or employment.
| Year | This school | Grammar schools | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 99% | 99.1% | 94.1% |
| 2022/23 | 99% | 98.9% | 93.9% |
| 2023/24 | 99% | 99.0% | 93.3% |
| 2024/25 | 100% | 98.7% | 91.8% |
Latest year breakdown
| In education | 97% |
|---|---|
| In apprenticeships | 2% |
| In employment | 1% |
Latest inspection: 5 February 2014
Local rivals appear first, followed by nearby alternatives where the journey and admissions route are still comparable.
Same wider selective region with a comparable travel distance
Closest comparable alternatives with a similar academic profile, so parents can weigh local fit and results together.
Similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
Similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
Similar Attainment 8 and Progress 8
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Related guides are still being added.
FAQ
St Joseph's College currently uses Individual.
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.
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
St Joseph's College is currently rated Outstanding following the latest published inspection dated 5 February 2014.