Admissions

St Joseph’s College has no designated catchment area and the Governing Board considers applications regardless of which local authority area a pupil lives in.

For a pupil to be considered for admission in September 2022, parent(s) and guardians must comply with both of the following:

Registration for the entrance test is currently closed.

Full admissions criteria for entry into year 7, September 2022.

Please note that the Governing Board of St Joseph’s College are consulting on their admission arrangements for September 2023/24. All consulting schools are legally required to publish their proposed policies and paperwork.

Any responses to these proposals should be emailed to fuschmann@stjosephsmail.com by 12 January 2022.

Full entry criteria for year 12. Apply for entry into year 12, September 2022 intake.

Year 7 Admissions Entry Test

Frequently Asked Questions:

This document covers the most commonly asked questions by parents/guardians who are seeking admission for their child into Y7 for coming year. If you have questions that are not covered in this document or in our admissions criteria policy, please email the school on: Admissions@stjosephsmail.com

• What type of test is the entrance test?

The test comprises of 2 papers. Verbal and Non Verbal reasoning. The test us multiple choice and standardized.

Verbal is 35 minutes

Non-Verbal is 40 minutes

• Where can I buy practice papers?

The test is multiple choice and standardized. Practice papers can be obtained from

WH Smith or online either through Amazon or Ebay (11+).

• What is the test out of?

As the test is standardized, there is not a definitive number of questions that each child needs to complete. It is important that we have the correct date of birth of your child so that the marking scheme can be applied correctly. This makes it fair for a child who is born towards the end of the academic year, taking the same test as a child born at the beginning of the academic year.

• What grade did my child have in the test?

We do not give the grade – any child who reaches 105 or above is given the appropriate forms to complete the second stage of the process.

• Where is the Certificate of Practice Form that Catholics complete?

The link to this form is in your letter informing you that your child passed the test. It can also be found on the Birmingham Archdiocese website. The certificate can be downloaded by you or your parish priest to complete and sign. http://www.bdes.org.uk/admissions.html

• Which documents do I return to directly to St Joseph’s College?

If you are a Catholic you return the GREEN Supplementary Information Form (SIF) together with the downloaded Certificate of Practice form and a copy of your child’s baptism certificate

If you are a non Catholic please return the YELLOW Supplementary Information Form (SIF) together with the yellow practice of faith form and a copy of your child’s baptism certificate if applicable

• When will I know if my child has been awarded a place?

All parents will be sent a letter from their Local Authority on 1^st March to inform them which school their child has been given.

• What if I don’t want the school that I have been awarded but still wish to come to St Joseph’s College?

You will need to email or write into the College informing us that you wish to appeal and ask for an appeal form. Appeal information and time line is on our website under admissions.

• What if my child did not reach the required mark of 105 and I would still wish my child to attend St Joseph’s College?

If your child did not reach the required mark of 105, you will not be able to put us as a option on the Local Authority Form, but if you wish to appeal then the process is the same as above.

Sample exam questions. Verbal reasoning and none verbal reasoning.

An application can be made for a place for a child at any time outside the admission round and the child will be admitted where there are available places.  An application should be made to the school by completing the Local Authority in-year admissions application form and the school Supplementary Information Form. A hard copy of the application form can be obtained by contacting the school office at 01782 848008 or admissions@stjosephsmail.com

Completed application forms must be returned to fuschmann@stjosephsmail.com or the school office.

Once these forms are received, we will inform the Local Authority and will notify the Parent(s)/Guardian(s) within 15 school days of the in-year entrance test.

The test is a standardised verbal and non-verbal reasoning, multiple choice computer-based tests.  Sample questions can be purchased at a good bookstore. 

Should your child reach the standardized mark of 105, then the admissions committee will look at all the applications and make a decision whether the school can admit more pupils into the year group, without causing prejudice to the provision of efficient education, or efficient use of resources.

Once your child has taken the test and should they have reached the required mark of 105, they will not have to retake the test each year, but you will need to complete a new in-year transfer form for each new academic year. 

Where there are places available but more applications than places, the published oversubscription criteria, as set out in the admission arrangements for 2021/2022, will be applied. The full admission arrangements can be accessed from this page or by contacting the school office to request a hard copy. Parent(s)/Guardian(s) are advised to read the admission arrangements carefully before making their application.

If there are no places available, the child will be added to the waiting list and further information relating to this will be included in the letter sent from the school advising you of the outcome of your application.  Please see the admission arrangements for more details.

You will be advised of the outcome of your application in writing as soon as possible.  Applicants must be informed of the outcome of their application within 15 school days of taking the entrance test.

You have the right to appeal to an independent appeal panel if your application is unsuccessful.

If you have any questions in relation to in-year admissions please contact Fiona Uschmann.  You may also wish to discuss in-year applications with the local authority on in-yearadmissions@stoke.gov.uk or 01782 237856

Prospective applicants should receive an offer letter from the LA on the 1^st March 2021. If you would like to appeal please email FUschmann@stjosephsmail.com requesting an appeal form. Further details can be found in our appeal timetable.

Registration form for entry into year 7 for the 22/23 academic year will be available to download from this website from Monday 5^th July 2021. Our full entry criteria will be available from Monday 15^th February 2021.

View our full entry criteria for entry into year 7, September 2021.

Please be assured that students will be given examples and practice before the test is administered. The entrance test is Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning.

Verbal 35 minutes

Non-verbal 40 minutes

The test is multiple choice and standardized. Practice papers can be obtained from WH Smith or online either through Amazon or Ebay (11+).

The 2020-21 policy has been updated to correct an administrative error.

Registration to sit the entrance test for admission into year 7 September 2020/21 is now closed.

Registration for the entrance test closed on Friday 13th September 2019, with the test taking place on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st September 2019. Applicants will be informed of the result by 4th October 2019. The local authority deadline for school choice preferences is 31st October 2019.

Full admissions criteria for admission into year 7, September 2020.

If you wish to appeal the decision not to award your child a place at St Joseph’s College, please email fuschmann@stjosephsmail.com requesting an appeal form directly from the College. Our appeals are independent of the school and conducted by the Diocese, not Stoke Local Authority.

The deadline to return the completed appeal form is 30th March 2021.  You will be informed of your appeal hearing 2 weeks before your appeal date.  Appeals will be heard by 28th May 2021.

Please see the school admission appeal timetable for further information.

Full entry criteria for September 2022, year 12 intake – for reference only