Ofsted: Outstanding schoolGrammar School trending_up High Demand emoji_events #1 in Stoke-on-Trent public Top 3% UK

St Joseph's College

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMs Melissa Roberts

corporate_fareST. JOSEPH'S COLLEGE EDMUND RICE ACADEMY TRUST

location_onStoke-on-Trent, ST4 5NT

language Visit Website phone 1782848008

verified

Ofsted

Outstanding

Inspected 2025

groups

Students

1,156

trending_up

Attainment 8

62.4

leaderboard

GCSE Rank

#1 in Stoke-on-Trent

#201 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

St Joseph's College is a Academy converter secondary school in Stoke-on-Trent, serving ages 11-18. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted — the highest possible grade. Highly competitive: 2.2× more applications than places — plan well ahead.

article

School Summary

St Joseph's College is an academy converter in Stoke-on-Trent, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of ST. JOSEPH'S COLLEGE EDMUND RICE ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 1,132 pupils on roll, of whom 9% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 62.4, placing the school #1 in Stoke-on-Trent and #201 of 3,216 nationally. 77.60% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 41.3% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 24 A-level subjects. 48.9% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 22.6% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.3 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2025. The school's current overall rating is Outstanding. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Outstanding, behaviour and attitudes Outstanding, personal development Outstanding, and leadership and management Outstanding.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 2.2× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 15.8:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 1.7 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

62.4

Grade 5+ E&M

77.60%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)41.3%

Entering EBacc90.80%

EBacc APS5.94

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.81

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc94.80%

EBacc APS5.93

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.67

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

64.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc95%

EBacc APS6.19

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.57

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

64.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc49%

EBacc APS5.81

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc64%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.45

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

60.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc54%

EBacc APS5.36

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.24

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

58.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc57%

EBacc APS5.33

explore

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

100%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)97%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)0%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

99%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)97%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

99%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)97%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)0%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

99%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)97%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

100%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)97%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)0%

workspace_premium

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

-0.3

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

186

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*6.3%

Achieving A*–A22.6%

Achieving A*–B48.9%

VA Banding Below average

Retention rate98.9%

A-level subjects offered24

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.16

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

203

Retention rate95.10%

2023

Avg Grade

C+

Students

210

Retention rate97.10%

2022

Avg Grade

Students

183

Retention rate99.5%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

29 April 2025

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

04 February 2014

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

28 February 2012

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

14 February 2012

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2025-04-29

S5 Inspection EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Outstanding

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Outstanding

2014-02-04

Exempt School Inspection following a complaint EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

2008-12-10

None EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

1.1%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.1%(13 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,132 pupils. During this period, there were 13 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 1.1%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,132	13	1.1%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,136	25	2.2%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,145	31	2.7%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,145	22	1.9%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,145	27	2.4%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,154	19	1.6%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,156	23	2.0%	6.4%	1
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,159	16	1.4%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,171	22	1.9%	4.7%	1
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,171	28	2.4%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,173	13	1.1%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,130	18	1.6%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,133	3	0.3%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,133	20	1.8%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,141	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,141	23	2.0%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,144	13	1.1%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,163	18	1.5%	3.1%	1
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,167	9	0.8%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,164	20	1.7%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,113	12	1.1%	3.4%	2
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,116	14	1.3%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,121	12	1.1%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,085	7	0.6%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,089	10	0.9%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,092	5	0.5%	3.1%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

accessibility_new

psychology_alt

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Specific Learning Difficulty 11 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 7 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 5 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 4 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 4 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 1 pupils

Physical Disability 1 pupils

health_and_safety

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

84.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

100.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

34.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree50%

agree44%

disagree6%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree33%

agree28%

disagree17%

strongly disagree22%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree44%

agree17%

disagree6%

strongly disagree11%

not applicable22%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree72%

agree6%

disagree11%

strongly disagree6%

don't know6%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree50%

agree28%

disagree17%

strongly disagree6%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree39%

agree33%

strongly disagree28%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree50%

agree28%

disagree11%

strongly disagree11%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree44%

agree17%

disagree17%

strongly disagree17%

don't know6%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree44%

agree39%

disagree11%

strongly disagree6%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes83%

no17%

Top Secondary Schools in Stoke-on-Trent

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

Thistley Hough Academy

Good

location_on Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 5JJ

emoji_events #2 in LA

Trentham Academy

Good

location_on Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 8PQ

emoji_events #3 in LA

St Margaret Ward Catholic Academy

Good

location_on Stoke-on-Trent, ST6 6LZ

emoji_events #4 in LA

St Thomas More Catholic Academy

Good

location_on Stoke-on-Trent, ST3 2NJ

emoji_events #5 in LA

Co-op Academy Stoke-On-Trent

Good

location_on Stoke-on-Trent, ST6 4LD

emoji_events #6 in LA

Ormiston Sir Stanley Matthews Academy

Good

location_on Stoke-on-Trent, ST3 3JD

emoji_events #7 in LA

View all schools in Stoke-on-Trent arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Selective Admission (Grammar)

Faith Priority (Roman Catholic)

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Stoke-on-Trent

Thistley Hough Academy

Trentham Academy

St Margaret Ward Catholic Academy

St Thomas More Catholic Academy

Co-op Academy Stoke-On-Trent

Ormiston Sir Stanley Matthews Academy