St Joseph's College: admissions history
How many families applied, how many places there were, and how far the last place went - every year we hold.
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.
First-choice demand has risen from 230 in 2021 to 285 in 2026, while places went from 149 to 150.
30% of applications came from families living in another council area.
Across Stoke-on-Trent, 89% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 97% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Stoke-on-Trent lodged 259 appeals against secondary school offers; 191 reached a hearing and 51 succeeded (26.7% of those heard).
Applications and offers by year
| Entry year | Places offered | First choices | Named at all | First choices per place | First choices not offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 150 | 285 | 438 | 1.9 | 144 |
| 2025 | 149 | 270 | 449 | 1.8 | 126 |
| 2024 | 147 | 325 | 545 | 2.2 | 183 |
| 2023 | 149 | 274 | 428 | 1.8 | 130 |
| 2022 | 150 | 277 | 432 | 1.8 | 127 |
| 2021 | 149 | 230 | 409 | 1.5 | 85 |
| 2020 | 149 | 290 | 443 | 1.9 | 142 |
| 2019 | 150 | 275 | 420 | 1.8 | 128 |
| 2018 | 150 | 255 | 386 | 1.7 | 109 |
| 2017 | 149 | 263 | 368 | 1.8 | 114 |
| 2016 | 150 | 266 | 415 | 1.8 | 119 |
| 2015 | 149 | 263 | 388 | 1.8 | 115 |
| 2014 | 150 | 252 | 335 | 1.7 | 102 |
Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers (school-level file). "Places offered" is the number of offers made on national offer day, which can differ from the school's published admission number.