Schools 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.

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.

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.