The hardest schools to get into in Stoke-on-Trent
Secondary: 285 families put St Joseph's College first in 2026 and 141 of them (50%) were offered a place - places depend on the 11-plus.
Reception: 48 families put Co-op Academy Glebe first in 2026 and 30 of them (63%) were offered a place.
Every state school in Stoke-on-Trent with at least 20 first-choice applicants, hardest first. Of the families who put the school first on their application, the share who were offered a place there. Data: Department for Education; last distance offered from Stoke-on-Trent's admissions booklet.
Secondary schools (Year 7)
| # | School | Put it first | Of them, offered | Places | Last distance offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Joseph's College · Stoke-on-Trent · grammar (11-plus) | 285 | 141 (50%) | 150 | - |
| 2 | Trentham Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 182 | 137 (75%) | 146 | - |
| 3 | Thistley Hough Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 211 | 174 (83%) | 208 | - |
| 4 | The Excel Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 271 | 227 (84%) | 238 | - |
| 5 | Co-op Academy Stoke-On-Trent · Stoke-on-Trent | 272 | 239 (88%) | 264 | - |
| 6 | St Margaret Ward Catholic Academy · Stoke-on-Trent · faith | 219 | 195 (89%) | 209 | - |
| 7 | St Thomas More Catholic Academy · Stoke-on-Trent · faith | 197 | 178 (90%) | 197 | - |
| 8 | Co-op Academy Florence MacWilliams · Stoke-on-Trent | 178 | 165 (93%) | 171 | - |
| 9 | Ormiston Horizon Academy · Stoke on Trent | 212 | 200 (94%) | 208 | - |
| 10 | Ormiston Sir Stanley Matthews Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 208 | 208 (100%) | 233 | - |
| 11 | Discovery Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 208 | 208 (100%) | 221 | - |
| 12 | St Peter's CofE Academy · Stoke-on-Trent · faith | 164 | 164 (100%) | 202 | - |
| 13 | Ormiston Meridian Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 150 | 150 (100%) | 168 | - |
| 14 | Haywood Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 149 | 149 (100%) | 192 | - |
| 15 | Birches Head Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 69 | 69 (100%) | 129 | - |
Primary schools (Reception)
| # | School | Put it first | Of them, offered | Places | Last distance offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Co-op Academy Glebe · Stoke-on-Trent | 48 | 30 (63%) | 30 | - |
| 2 | Eaton Park Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 83 | 60 (72%) | 60 | - |
| 3 | Waterside Primary School · Stoke-on-Trent | 77 | 59 (77%) | 59 | - |
| 4 | Sandon Primary Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 70 | 58 (83%) | 59 | 0.74 miles |
| 5 | Co-op Academy Hamilton · Stoke-on-Trent | 36 | 30 (83%) | 30 | 0.33 miles |
| 6 | Saint Nathaniel's Academy · Stoke-on-Trent · faith | 71 | 60 (85%) | 60 | - |
| 7 | Jackfield Infant School · Stoke-on-Trent | 66 | 57 (86%) | 59 | 0.62 miles |
| 8 | Whitfield Valley Primary Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 68 | 60 (88%) | 60 | - |
| 9 | St Gregory's Catholic Academy · Stoke-on-Trent · faith | 63 | 56 (89%) | 60 | - |
| 10 | Belgrave St Bartholomew's Academy · Stoke-on-Trent · faith | 66 | 59 (89%) | 60 | - |
| 11 | St Mary's Church of England Primary School · Stoke-on-Trent · faith | 67 | 60 (90%) | 60 | - |
| 12 | Greenways Primary Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 33 | 30 (91%) | 30 | 0.99 miles |
| 13 | Priory CofE Academy · Stoke-on-Trent · faith | 64 | 59 (92%) | 60 | 1.15 miles |
| 14 | Our Lady and St Benedict Catholic Academy · Stoke-on-Trent · faith | 32 | 30 (94%) | 30 | - |
| 15 | St Maria Goretti Catholic Academy · Stoke-on-Trent · faith | 32 | 30 (94%) | 30 | - |
| 16 | Ash Green Primary Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 62 | 59 (95%) | 60 | 0.18 miles |
| 17 | Norton-Le-Moors Primary Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 29 | 28 (97%) | 29 | 0.83 miles |
| 18 | Gladstone Primary Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 59 | 57 (97%) | 59 | 1.24 miles |
| 19 | St George and St Martin's Catholic Academy · Stoke-on-Trent · faith | 31 | 30 (97%) | 30 | - |
| 20 | Kingsland CofE Academy · Stoke-on-Trent · faith | 51 | 50 (98%) | 57 | - |
| 21 | The Crescent Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 75 | 75 (100%) | 79 | 3.84 miles |
| 22 | The Willows Primary School · Stoke-on-Trent | 72 | 72 (100%) | 76 | 1.21 miles |
| 23 | New Ford Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 60 | 60 (100%) | 60 | 3.12 miles |
| 24 | Sneyd Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 59 | 59 (100%) | 60 | 5.22 miles |
| 25 | Summerbank Primary Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 59 | 59 (100%) | 60 | 1.37 miles |
| 26 | Park Hall Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 58 | 58 (100%) | 59 | 1.94 miles |
| 27 | St Mark's CofE Primary School · Stoke-on-Trent · faith | 57 | 57 (100%) | 59 | - |
| 28 | Packmoor Ormiston Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 55 | 55 (100%) | 55 | 13.25 miles |
| 29 | Hanley St Luke's Church of England Academy · Stoke-on-Trent · faith | 54 | 54 (100%) | 59 | 0.96 miles |
| 30 | Maple Court Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 54 | 54 (100%) | 60 | 2.15 miles |
| 31 | Mill Hill Primary Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 54 | 54 (100%) | 58 | 5.27 miles |
| 32 | Oakhill Primary School · Stoke-on-Trent | 49 | 49 (100%) | 50 | 1 miles |
| 33 | Milton Primary Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 47 | 47 (100%) | 47 | 2.94 miles |
| 34 | Forest Park Primary School · Stoke-on-Trent | 47 | 47 (100%) | 58 | 3.27 miles |
| 35 | Burnwood Primary Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 46 | 46 (100%) | 50 | 1.12 miles |
| 36 | Sutherland Primary Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 45 | 45 (100%) | 45 | 3.46 miles |
| 37 | The Meadows Primary Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 44 | 44 (100%) | 45 | 2.61 miles |
| 38 | Etruscan Primary School · Stoke-on-Trent | 43 | 43 (100%) | 43 | 0.4 miles |
| 39 | Sandford Hill Primary School · Stoke-on-Trent | 43 | 43 (100%) | 53 | 1.64 miles |
| 40 | St Wilfrid's Catholic Academy · Stoke-on-Trent · faith | 41 | 41 (100%) | 45 | - |
| 41 | St Teresa's Catholic (A) Primary School · Stoke-on-Trent · faith | 38 | 38 (100%) | 40 | - |
| 42 | Newstead Primary Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 36 | 36 (100%) | 37 | 1.91 miles |
| 43 | Heron Cross Primary School · Stoke-on-Trent | 34 | 34 (100%) | 38 | 0.69 miles |
| 44 | Ball Green Primary School · Stoke-on-Trent | 34 | 34 (100%) | 35 | - |
| 45 | Co-op Academy Clarice Cliff · Stoke-on-Trent | 32 | 32 (100%) | 35 | 4.36 miles |
| 46 | Co-op Academy Northwood · Stoke-on-Trent | 32 | 32 (100%) | 43 | 1.53 miles |
| 47 | St Peter's Catholic Academy · Stoke-on-Trent · faith | 30 | 30 (100%) | 30 | - |
| 48 | Harpfield Primary Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 30 | 30 (100%) | 30 | 3.46 miles |
| 49 | Stoke Minster CofE Primary Academy · Stoke-on-Trent · faith | 29 | 29 (100%) | 32 | 1.65 miles |
| 50 | Goldenhill Primary Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 28 | 28 (100%) | 28 | 2.49 miles |
| 51 | St Marys Catholic Academy · Stoke-on-Trent · faith | 28 | 28 (100%) | 29 | - |
| 52 | St John's CofE (A) Primary School · Stoke-on-Trent · faith | 27 | 27 (100%) | 28 | - |
| 53 | Our Lady's Catholic Academy · Stoke-on-Trent · faith | 27 | 27 (100%) | 28 | - |
| 54 | St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School · Stoke-on-Trent · faith | 26 | 26 (100%) | 28 | - |
| 55 | Hillside Primary School · Stoke-on-Trent | 26 | 26 (100%) | 28 | 2.67 miles |
| 56 | Smallthorne Primary Academy · Stoke-on-Trent | 26 | 26 (100%) | 27 | 1.9 miles |
| 57 | St Joseph's Catholic Academy, Goldenhill · Stoke-on-Trent · faith | 23 | 23 (100%) | 25 | - |
| 58 | Christ Church CofE Primary Academy · Stoke-on-Trent · faith | 22 | 22 (100%) | 29 | 3.57 miles |
| 59 | Alexandra Infants' School · Stoke-on-Trent | 20 | 20 (100%) | 22 | - |
Getting into a school in Stoke-on-Trent
What is the hardest school to get into in Stoke-on-Trent?
For secondary places, 285 families put St Joseph's College first in 2026 and 141 of them (50%) were offered a place - places depend on the 11-plus. For Reception, 48 families put Co-op Academy Glebe first and 30 of them (63%) were offered a place.
How many families in Stoke-on-Trent get their first-choice school?
88.5% of families applying for a secondary place got their first preference, and 94.4% of those applying for Reception did (offers for September 2026).
Does putting a school first improve our chances?
Not at the other schools you name. Councils in England use an equal-preference system: every school you list is considered against its own admissions criteria, and if more than one could offer a place you get the one you ranked highest. So list schools in your genuine order of preference, and include at least one you are very likely to get.
What does "last distance offered" mean?
For schools that give places by distance, it is how far from the school the last child offered a place under that criterion lived. It changes every year with the number and location of applicants, so treat it as a guide, not a guarantee. We show it where Stoke-on-Trent published it in its admissions booklet.