Schools in Stoke-on-Trent
103 open schools · Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and admission criteria · best primary schools · best secondary schools
Stoke-on-Trent has 96 state schools: 71 primary, 15 secondary, 1 nursery. Between them they teach around 40,477 pupils. 78 have enough published data for a score, averaging 4.7 out of 10, and 7 score 8 or above.
11 have a sixth form. 71 take children from age three or under. 28 have a religious character, which usually means the school sets its own admissions criteria rather than the council's. 1 is selective and sets an entrance test. How the score works.
Undersubscribed schools rated Good or Outstanding
These schools didn't fill on first preference in the latest admissions year, despite an Ofsted rating of Good or Outstanding — worth a look if you're chasing the same handful of famous names everyone else applies to.
How places are allocated in Stoke-on-Trent
Primary schools: Catchment area is criteria 2-4 for community/VC primary schools. (source)
Secondary schools: Explicit: 'No secondary school in Stoke-on-Trent uses a catchment area' — primary-only distinction from the county's own guidance. (source)
Most schools use the local authority's default scheme rather than a school-specific catchment map — see each school's page for its own designated/catchment area where one is published.
Stoke-on-Trent entrance test format
St Joseph's College's entrance test has two multiple-choice, age-standardised papers: 1. Verbal Reasoning — logical thinking, use of English language and vocabulary. 2. Non-Verbal Reasoning — interpreting visual information, pattern logic and problem-solving. No English or maths curriculum papers. A standardised score around the published threshold (historically 105) meets the academic standard; the school's oversubscription criteria (including Catholic faith categories) then determine priority for its 150 Year 7 grammar places. Test in September of Year 6, results in October.
Key dates
| Entry year | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Sept 2028 | Application deadline | 2027-10-31 |
| Sept 2028 | Primary application deadline | 2028-01-15 |
| Sept 2028 | Offer day | 2028-03-01 |
| Sept 2028 | Primary offer day | 2028-04-17 |
| Sept 2027 | Test date | 2026-09-12 |
| Sept 2027 | Results released | 2026-10-16 |
| Sept 2027 | Application deadline | 2026-10-31 |
| Sept 2027 | Primary application deadline | 2027-01-15 |
| Sept 2027 | Offer day | 2027-03-01 |
| Sept 2027 | Primary offer day | 2027-04-16 |
| Sept 2026 | Application deadline | 2025-10-31 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Primary application deadline | 2026-01-15 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Offer day | 2026-03-02 (passed) |
| Sept 2026 | Primary offer day | 2026-04-16 (passed) |
Out-of-area applications
Stoke-on-Trent's only grammar school is St Joseph's College (mixed, Catholic, founded by the Christian Brothers). It runs its own entrance test — register directly with the school in Year 5, test in September of Year 6. The school has NO designated catchment area, and children from outside Stoke-on-Trent (Staffordshire, Cheshire) routinely apply. All candidates must meet the academic standard; as a Catholic school, religious affiliation can affect priority within the oversubscription criteria, but non-Catholic applicants are considered. Apply via your home LA's Common Application Form by 31 October.
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