Catholic ethos remains central at St Joseph’s
ST JOSEPH’S College has cemented its position as Stoke-ontrent’s top high school today in our Real Schools Guide.
As the area’s only state grammar school, its academic success is on a par with many private schools.
Last summer, 79 per cent of its GCSE pupils achieved strong passes in both English and maths. While 22 per cent of all A-level students’ grades were As or A*s.
But young people leave the Trent Vale school with far more than just qualifications. They also take part in lots of personal development activities, including many rooted in its Catholic ethos.
Headteacher Melissa Roberts said: “The experience that children have will help shape their future. We take this responsibility very seriously and work tirelessly to ensure that our students leave school with the best possible opportunities to succeed.”
St Joseph’s has always been a bit of a trailblazer. It began life in 1932 as a boys’ school run by the Christian Brothers, who wanted to see more youngsters benefit from a Catholic education.
The school later went independent, before opting back into the state sector as a grantmaintained school – the forerunner of today’s academies movement.
It was at the vanguard again in 2011 when it became the first in Stoke-on-trent to convert to academy status under rules aimed at giving outstanding schools more freedoms. Since then, St Joseph’s College has been a driving force in efforts to raise standards across the city.
Through running a teaching school alliance, it has helped ‘grow’ the next generation of secondary teachers, including many who have gone on to secure posts in other Potteries schools.
Ms Roberts added: “Our success doesn’t breed complacency though, and we are determined to continue getting better and better.”
Now its performance has been tracked in the latest Real Schools Guide, which covers a much more comprehensive view than traditional school league tables.
Produced by Reach’s data unit, it uses 51 different data points to come up with an overall score for each school. This takes account of factors like GCSE grades, progress 8 scores, pupil-teacher ratios and absence rates.