School Chooser

St Joseph's College

Independent · ages 2-19MixedIndependent (grammar)564 pupilsSixth formNurseryIpswichSuffolk
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
Strong pass in English and maths66%England 46%
Places136 spare564 pupils, 700 places
Average A level gradeB-2024/25
Pupils on roll564Census January 2024

St Joseph's College is an independent school in Ipswich for boys and girls aged 2 to 19. It has 564 pupils and room for 700.

Belstead Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, Ipswich, IP2 9DR01473 690281stjos.co.ukMrs D Clarke principalAll details

Inspection

This private school is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, not Ofsted. Its reports are at isi.net.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

91 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE score54.7
England 46.8
Official name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and maths66%
England 46%
Official name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and maths85%
England 66%
Official name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Trend
Average GCSE score
2018 to 2025
2018: 52.152.120182019: 49.149.120192022: 50.650.620222023: 52.252.220232024: 46.046.020242025: 54.754.72025
Since 2018: +2.6
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018SuffolkEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11917479716655
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 854.746.052.250.649.152.143.446.8
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths66%47%57%55%42%49%40%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths85%68%73%77%71%76%62%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score4.463.874.484.393.934.223.764.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry11%10%18%25%20%7%28%41%

Subjects

Results came out for 19 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.

Strongest subjects

History86%grades 9 to 5, England 52%
Art and Design86%grades 9 to 5, England 58%
Geography77%grades 9 to 5, England 51%
Mathematics73%grades 9 to 5, England 53%

Subjects that did worse than the England average: Social Studies (29% here, 54% across England).

What is taught hereOffers triple science, computer science, music.
LanguagesSpanish11

The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.

Every subject against England, 2025
Mathematics96 entries
73%England 53%
69%England 54%
70%England 58%
55%England 36%
Business56 entries
59%England 51%
68%England 56%
History36 entries
86%England 52%
Art and Design36 entries
86%England 58%
Chemistry30 entries
87%England 81%
Physics30 entries
83%England 82%
Biology29 entries
97%England 82%
Geography22 entries
77%England 51%
Drama21 entries
52%England 60%
Social Studies17 entries
29%England 54%
Spanish11 entries
100%England 54%
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
Mathematics9637%73%91%53%
English Language9027%69%88%54%
English Literature8624%70%90%58%
Combined Science6012%55%78%36%
Business5625%59%84%51%
Physical Education3722%68%81%56%
History3653%86%94%52%
Art and Design3644%86%97%58%
Chemistry3050%87%100%81%
Physics3060%83%100%82%
Biology2948%97%100%82%
Geography2241%77%91%51%
Drama2119%52%76%60%
Social Studies176%29%71%54%
Spanish1173%100%100%54%
Statistics888%100%100%51%
Music729%71%71%61%
Computer Science771%86%86%56%
Religious Studies617%50%67%60%

In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.

A level and sixth-form results, 2025

86 students finished sixth-form courses.

Average A level gradeB-37.2 points per entry
A level progress+0.12Against students elsewhere with the same GCSE grades. 0 is average.
AAB or better15%with two subjects universities favour
All sixth-form measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018
Students86767965170134
Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry37.2430.7732.6634.5335.9534.47
Average A level gradeB-CC+C+B-C+
Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS33.1229.7631.4336.4636.6733.33
AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects15%7%9%19%23%15%
A level progressA level value added+0.12-0.12-0.02+0.37
Applied general courses: points per entry35.6329.5235.7536.96

A level subjects

15 A level subjects had results in 2025. Each figure is the share of students who got an A* to B, next to the average for state sixth forms in England. When only a handful of students take a subject, its figures jump around from year to year.

Strongest A levels

Chinese100%A* to B, England 64% · 13 entries
Mathematics93%A* to B, England 60% · 14 entries
Business Studies70%A* to B, England 47% · 10 entries
Economics80%A* to B, England 57% · 10 entries
A levels taught hereThe small number is how many students sat each one in 2025.
SubjectsMathematics14Chinese13Economics10Business Studies10Sociology10English Literature8Biology8Government and Politics7History6Photography5Geography5Fine Art5English Language5Textiles5Chemistry5
Every A level subject against England, 2025
Mathematics14 entries · 57% A* or A · 100% passed
93%England 60%
Chinese13 entries · 69% A* or A · 100% passed
100%England 64%
Economics10 entries · 50% A* or A · 100% passed
80%England 57%
Business Studies10 entries · 10% A* or A · 100% passed
70%England 47%
Sociology10 entries · 30% A* or A · 100% passed
70%England 49%
English Literature8 entries · 0% A* or A · 100% passed
50%England 52%
Biology8 entries · 63% A* or A · 100% passed
63%England 49%
Government and Politics7 entries · 14% A* or A · 100% passed
71%England 55%
History6 entries · 50% A* or A · 100% passed
83%England 55%
Photography5 entries · 0% A* or A · 0% passed
0%England 58%
Geography5 entries · 0% A* or A · 0% passed
0%England 51%
Fine Art5 entries · 0% A* or A · 0% passed
0%England 65%
English Language5 entries · 0% A* or A · 0% passed
0%England 44%
Textiles5 entries · 0% A* or A · 0% passed
0%England 67%
Chemistry5 entries · 0% A* or A · 0% passed
0%England 53%

A levels only. BTECs, T levels and other courses are in the table above. Subjects with fewer than five students aren't published.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. Every gap at this school is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At GCSE, 2025

Average GCSE scoreBoys vs girls
54.355.6
Gap 1.3England 3.0
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Grammar school. This is a grammar school, so places depend on an entrance test.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Suffolk council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll564Census January 2024
Places70081% full
Pupils from low-income familiesGet free school meals
Pupils getting extra support21%120 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan1%5 pupils with a plan
Boys and girls336 / 228
How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll564577594594575591
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals0%0%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support24%19%18%15%16%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans1%1%0%0%1%

What pupils do next

After sixth form

Where the 79 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training72%and stayed there for at least six months
Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers
Still in education, work or training72%76%83%
Education46%45%47%
Apprenticeship1%8%0%
Work25%23%36%
Not in education, work or training10%15%6%

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m21412 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate75 per 1,000 people18% lower than the England average
Typical house price£240,000Ipswich
Nearest bus stop220 mStone Lodge Lane West, 17 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Stone Lodge AcademyAcademy240 m175No overall grade 2025Compare
Chantry AcademyAcademy330 m1,006Good 202424Compare
St Mark's Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy380 m202Good 2023Compare
The Willows Primary SchoolAcademy400 m259Requires improvement 20241Compare
Halifax Primary SchoolAcademy620 m409Not inspected70Compare
The Oaks Primary SchoolAcademy950 m449Not inspected66Compare
Stoke High School - Ormiston AcademyAcademy0.6 miles811Report card 202611Compare
Hillside Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles402Report card 202610Compare

Questions parents ask

Is St Joseph's College a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score St Joseph's College yet.

How good are St Joseph's College's GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 66% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 54.7, against 46.8 for England.

How many pupils does St Joseph's College have?

564 pupils aged 2 to 19 were on the roll in January 2024. It has 700 places, so it is 81% full.

Does St Joseph's College have an entrance exam?

Yes. It is a grammar school, so places depend on an entrance test, usually sat in September of Year 6. Check the school's admissions page for the test dates and the pass mark.

Does St Joseph's College have a sixth form?

Yes. The average A level grade in 2025 was B-. 15 A level subjects had results in 2025; the full list is in the results section.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Belstead Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, Ipswich, IP2 9DR
Telephone
01473 690281
Website
www.stjos.co.uk
Principal
Mrs D Clarke
Type of school
Independent school (Other independent school, independent schools)
Phase
Independent school, ages 2-19, with nursery, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Local authority
Suffolk
Ward
Stoke Park
Constituency
Ipswich
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 January 1937
URN
124883 · LAESTAB 9356044 · UKPRN 10008514

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from