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St Joseph's Boys' High School

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20 Armagh Road, Newry, BT35 6DH

Non-selective · Boys · Catholic maintained

Pupils
405
Year 8
97
Council
Newry, Mourne and Down

Your chances

against these criteria.

How it chooses when it has more applicants than places, in order:

  1. Children in named parishes (Newry, Saval, Donaghmore, Drumgath, Middle Killeavey) where St Joseph's is the nearest maintained secondary school.
  2. Pupils with a child of their family currently enrolled at the school.
  3. Pupils who are the eldest child of the family eligible to apply for admission.
  4. Pupils for whom the school is the nearest suitable Maintained Secondary School.
  5. Other children who apply.
  6. Tie-break at criterion 5: random selection.

Uses a parish list: check it in the criteria.

The school's criteria

Getting in

Usually has spare places

Everyone who put it first was offered a place in 2026/27 (55 children).

Applications per place (all preferences): 0.6 in 2024/25, 0.9 in 2025/26, 0.8 in 2026/27.

Results for its intake

Expected about 55%, got 69.9% (5+ GCSEs A* to C with English and maths, 2024/25).

0%50%100%0%40%80%Pupils on free school meals
Each dot is a non-selective school with 30 or more Year 12 pupils. The dashed line is what schools usually get at each free school meals level.

School life

  • Has a learning support centre source

Who applied

Applications by the preference families gave the school, and children admitted
YearPlacesPut it 1st2nd3rd or laterAdmitted
2024/25100478560
2025/2610055161687
2026/2710055141281

In 2026/27, 55 of the 55 children who put it first got a place here.

Each child counts once, at the preference their family gave this school. Figures at the end of the admissions procedure, from the Education Authority's analysis of preferences.

Pupils (October 2025)

Free school meals
40.7%
Special educational needs
111 pupils (55 with a statement)
Has Years 13 and 14
No
Area
Urban

Religious background of pupilsProtestant 0%, Catholic 91.1%, other or none 8.9%

Exam results (2024/25)

5+ GCSEs A* to C, with English and maths
69.9%
5+ GCSEs A* to C
89%
3+ A-levels A* to C
none
2+ A-levels A* to E
none
Year 12 pupils counted
73
A-level pupils counted
0

Source: Department of Education, SAER 2024/25, Open Government Licence.

Admissions

From the school's admissions criteria for September 2026.

Year 8 places: 100 (whole school: 500)

Applications and admissions in recent years
YearPlacesApplications (all preferences)Admitted
2023/241008787
2024/251006666
2025/261009696

Applications count every family that named the school at any preference, not only first preferences.

School's note: *The Total Admissions for year 2025/2026 includes all Year 8 children admitted to the school including those who have a statement of special educational needs and/or may be attending SPiMS.

Does not use transfer test results in its admissions criteria.

Sources

DENI reference 5230056

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