St Joseph’s College, Stoke-on-Trent 11 Plus (11+) Exam Guide

About St Joseph’s College, Stoke-on-Trent

St Joseph’s College is a co-educational selective Catholic academy in Trent Vale, Stoke-on-Trent, for ages 11 to 18, part of the Edmund Rice family of schools.

It admits 150 children into Year 7 on its own entrance test, and considers applications from any home local authority: there is no catchment area.

Key information for 2027 entry to St Joseph’s College, Stoke-on-Trent at 11 Plus (11+)

• School type: co-educational selective Catholic academy, ages 11 to 18
• Published admission number: 150 places in Year 7
• Entrance test: two multiple-choice, standardised papers. Verbal reasoning (50 minutes) and non-verbal reasoning (40 minutes)
• No English paper, no maths paper and no writing task
• Qualifying standard: an age-adjusted average of 105 across the two tests. Scores of 103 or 104 trigger an automatic re-mark
• Registration: opened 29 June 2026, closes Wednesday 2 September 2026
• Test dates: 15, 16 and 17 September 2026
• Results: parents told by 13 October 2026 whether 105 was reached
• Local authority application deadline: 31 October 2026, with faith evidence due within 14 days after it
• Contact details: stjosephstrentvale.com, [email protected], 01782 848008

Admissions information for 2027 entry to St Joseph’s College, Stoke-on-Trent at 11 Plus (11+)

St Joseph’s publishes its standard plainly, which is rarer than it should be: your child needs an age-adjusted average of 105 across the two papers. Scores of 103 or 104 are automatically re-marked, all papers are marked anonymously, and if fewer than 150 children reach 105, every child who does is offered a place.

If more than 150 qualify, faith-based criteria decide the order: baptised Catholic children first (capped at 125 places), then Christian children (normally 18 places, topped up by any unfilled Catholic places), then all other children, with looked-after children, siblings and children of staff prioritised within each group and Pupil Premium children ranked up within their faith category.

One trap in the paperwork: a child who scores 105 but whose parents do not submit the supplementary faith information is ranked as non-Christian, whatever their faith. And the application is two separate steps: the school’s own test registration, and the local authority form naming St Joseph’s by 31 October 2026. Missing either makes the application incomplete.

How can I register my child for the 11 Plus (11+) exams at St Joseph’s College, Stoke-on-Trent?

1. Register for the entrance test on the school’s website by Wednesday 2 September 2026 (registration opened 29 June 2026).
2. Your child sits the two papers on one of 15, 16 or 17 September 2026. Late applicants can be tested between 19 September and 3 October if a sitting can be arranged.
3. You are told by 13 October 2026 whether your child reached the required 105.
4. Apply through your home local authority by Saturday 31 October 2026, naming St Joseph’s College, and send the Certificate of Catholic Practice or baptism evidence within 14 days after that if it applies.
5. Offers are made on National Offer Day, Monday 1 March 2027.

What is the 11 Plus (11+) entrance exam format for St Joseph’s College, Stoke-on-Trent?

The entrance test is two multiple-choice, standardised papers, sat at the school:

• Verbal reasoning, 50 minutes.
• Non-verbal reasoning, 40 minutes.

There is no English paper, no maths paper and no writing task. That makes preparation narrower than for most 11+ tests: reasoning is the whole exam, and time spent on comprehension or arithmetic papers is time this test will never see.

Scores are adjusted for age and averaged, against a published standard of 105.

St Joseph’s College, Stoke-on-Trent 11 Plus (11+) top tips for your child

• Practise reasoning and nothing else. Verbal and non-verbal reasoning are the whole test.
• Work to the paper lengths: 50 minutes of verbal reasoning needs more stamina than most practice sessions build.
• Aim comfortably above 105 rather than at it, since the standard is an age-adjusted average across both papers.
• Do both applications: the school’s test registration and the local authority form are separate, and both are required.
• Send the faith paperwork with the application if it applies. Without it a qualifying child is ranked as non-Christian.

How to prepare your child for the 11 Plus (11+) St Joseph’s College, Stoke-on-Trent exam

Preparation for St Joseph’s College is verbal and non-verbal reasoning practice, worked to time against the published paper lengths. A mid-September test makes the summer of Year 5 into Year 6 the working window.

For St Joseph’s College, Stoke-on-Trent 11+ preparation, we recommend the following packs: