St Joseph's College, Stoke-on-Trent

In its own words: "St Joseph’s College sets high standards and demands high aspirations from all pupils. We have a long and proud tradition of outstanding academic performance and results that consistently place us in the top rank of state and private schools nationwide."

Coming up: an open evening on Thursday 5 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at St Joseph's College averaged an Attainment 8 score of 63.6, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 41.4 in Stoke-on-Trent and 47 across England.

84% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 36% in Stoke-on-Trent and 47% in England.

That is up from 62.4 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.81: pupils made well above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 60.5, against 63.8 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 3.3 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 21 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and History.

St Joseph's College is a grammar school: places go to children who reach the required standard in its entrance test, and only then are the oversubscription criteria applied.

For September 2026 entry, 285 families put St Joseph's College as their first choice and 438 named it as one of their preferences, for 150 places offered. That is 1.9 first choices for every place. 144 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

St Joseph's College admits pupils through an entrance test, usually called the 11-plus. Children have to be registered for it in advance, normally in the spring or summer of Year 5; the test itself is usually sat in September of Year 6, and results come out in October, before the 31 October deadline for naming secondary schools.

Passing the test makes a child eligible rather than guaranteeing a place: when more children pass than there are places, St Joseph's College ranks them by the criteria in its admissions policy, which can include test score and distance. Check Stoke-on-Trent's admissions pages and the school's own policy for this year's registration deadline - a child who is not registered in time cannot sit the test.

The nearest other state secondary schools to St Joseph's College are Clayton Hall Academy (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.8); Thistley Hough Academy (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.7); Trentham Academy (1.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46); and St Peter's CofE Academy (1.7 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 34.2).

St Joseph's College's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.

St Joseph's College is one of 5 schools run by The Laetare Catholic Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.

265 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Joseph's College (as of September 2025): 96% would recommend the school, 96% say their child is happy there and 67% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (99%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (67%).

Of the 155 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 96% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 25% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

Of the 197 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 80% went on to university or other higher education, 1% to apprenticeships and 10% into work. 21% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

9.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 26.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (38%), Asian (35%) and Black (12%).

In 2026, 27 pupils (2.4%) received SEN support and 7 (0.6%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.

The nearest railway station is Stoke-on-Trent Rail Station, about 1.6 miles away in a straight line.

12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Flash Lane (adjacent), 160 metres away.

In 2024/25, St Joseph's College issued 47 suspensions, 4.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The primary schools closest to St Joseph's College are Oakhill Primary School (under 0.1 miles), St Teresa's Catholic (A) Primary School (0.4 miles), St John's CofE (A) Primary School (0.9 miles) and Priory CofE Academy (1 mile). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.