Your school guide
St Joseph's College
St Joseph’s College in Trent Vale admits girls and boys through its own verbal and non-verbal reasoning test and a separate council application.
Grammar school · Stoke-on-Trent
Prepare with confidence.
Use Plusling to prepare for 11+ entry to St Joseph's College. Build skills with original questions, understand the answers and turn tricky topics into your next step forward.
Try five free questions. See the feedback for yourself.
Meet the school
At a glance
Facts checked
London Road, Trent Vale, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST4 5NT
Plan your approach
Entry information
For September 2027 entry
St Joseph’s College in Trent Vale is a coeducational selective Catholic school. For September 2027 Year 7 entry, the school’s verbal and non-verbal reasoning test took place on 15–17 September 2026. An age-adjusted score of 105 is required to proceed to the school’s place-allocation stage. Families also submit a separate home-local-authority preference by 31 October 2026.
Entry stage: Year 7
What the assessment covers
- Verbal reasoning
- Non-verbal reasoning
Assessment provider: St Joseph’s College, Trent Vale
The admissions process
- Register for the September 2027 entry test by 2 September 2026.
- Sit the test on 15, 16 or 17 September 2026; it comprises a 50-minute Verbal Reasoning paper and a 40-minute Non-Verbal Reasoning paper.
- The school tells families the test outcome before the 31 October local-authority application deadline. A score of 105 or more qualifies a child for consideration under the school’s admissions and oversubscription criteria; it does not itself secure a place. Submit the local-authority form naming the school by 31 October 2026.
Read the official details: Admissions information from St Joseph's College
Go to the source
Official links for your shortlist
Use the school’s current admissions information to check which sample papers or familiarisation materials apply to your child’s entry year.
From subjects to skills
Turn the assessment subjects into a practice plan.
Start with these core skills from the published subject list. Pair the official assessment material with regular Plusling practice.
Verbal reasoning
A useful place to start
Talk through word relationships, letter patterns and codes. Encourage your child to explain the rule before choosing an answer.
Build on it with Plusling
Explore words and logic with Plusling’s verbal reasoning quizzes, with feedback that helps the next attempt feel clearer.
Start the 5-question verbal reasoning quizNon-verbal reasoning
A useful place to start
Look for changes in shape, position, shading and direction. Work out one rule at a time before checking it against the choices.
Build on it with Plusling
Give visual reasoning another go in Plusling, with original puzzles and explanations your child can return to.
Start the 5-question non-verbal reasoning quizPrint, practise, build confidence
Printable practice for these subjects
Original Plusling papers with space to work and separate answers and explanations.
Verbal Reasoning papers
Explore the papers
Non-Verbal Reasoning papers
Explore the papersThese are Plusling skills practice, not official school or test papers.
Keep the practical steps clear
Your application starting points
Use the official links on this page to answer these questions for your child’s entry year.
Check the entry point and eligibility
Confirm the year group, age requirements and any conditions that apply to your child.
Put the right dates in your diary
Note any published registration, assessment, application and offer-response dates that apply to your child’s route. They may be separate steps.
Check the assessment guidance
If an assessment applies, look for official examples, question formats, timings and answer instructions to help plan your child’s preparation.
Read the school’s admissions criteria
Check catchment, oversubscription rules and any supplementary form alongside the test registration.
Picture your child’s everyday life here.
An open day is a chance to look beyond the exam. Useful questions to take with you:
- How do you help new pupils settle in and make friends?
- Who can a child turn to when they feel worried or stuck?
- How do you help pupils recover from a setback and discover their strengths?
Know where to focus
Give their preparation a clear direction.
See the topics your child has practised, revisit questions that need another look and choose a focus for the next session. Plusling helps you put your time where it can be useful.
- Topic summaries and practice history
- Choose topics in Focus Practice
- Progress to discuss with the adults helping them
Their next step starts here
Give their 11+ preparation a confident start.
Try Plusling together. Five free questions, useful feedback and a first look at a friendlier way to practise.
Before you apply
- Check the school’s current admissions arrangements for your entry year, including eligibility, application steps and any access arrangements.
- Registered ages and pupil classifications describe the establishment; admission arrangements for particular year groups can differ.
Plusling’s guide to St Joseph's College is independently written. The school and its admissions authority publish the official arrangements.
Contains government school-register data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Primary sources
- St Joseph's College: school details Department for Education
- Year 7 Virtual Open Evening – St Joseph's College St Joseph's College
- Admissions – St Joseph's College St Joseph's College
- Admission Arrangements 2027/28 St Joseph’s College, Trent Vale
- GL Assessment free 11+ familiarisation materials GL Assessment