Learning Support, Southern Area Education Office, Ipswich
Learning Support, Southern Area Education Office is an all-through school for pupils aged 5 to 16 in Ipswich.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Learning Support, Southern Area Education Office in detail
Getting a place at Learning Support, Southern Area Education Office
Across Suffolk, 93% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 98% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2026, families in Suffolk lodged 177 appeals against secondary school offers; 128 reached a hearing and 22 succeeded (17.2% of those heard).
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Learning Support, Southern Area Education Office are Stoke High School - Ormiston Academy (1.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 36); Northgate High School (1.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.5); Copleston High School (1.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48.3); and Chantry Academy (1.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 36.7).
Stoke High School - Ormiston AcademyNorthgate High SchoolCopleston High SchoolChantry Academy
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Entrance, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
21 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Dove Street (adjacent), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 487 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, public order offences and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Suffolk (32), as is usual near a town centre.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Learning Support, Southern Area Education Office are St Helen's Primary School (0.1 miles); St Margaret's CEVAP School, Ipswich (0.3 miles); Clifford Community Primary School & Nursery (0.6 miles); and St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Ipswich (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
St Helen's Primary SchoolSt Margaret's CEVAP School, IpswichClifford Community Primary School & NurserySt Mary's Catholic Primary School, Ipswich
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
No inspection data available
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 4 nearby all-through schools
Keep up with Learning Support, Southern Area Education Office
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Learning Support, Southern Area Education Office.
- Ipswich Tuition Centre430m away · Not yet graded
- Crash After School Club880m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 88
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 20
- Children hurt
- 9
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 88 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 20 serious and 68 slight.
9 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 6 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
22 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Suffolk is 4 (the median across 365 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
Area Demand Pressure - Ipswich
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Ipswich
Across Suffolk council
Places available
8,475
Applications
7,204
Got 1st preference
92.7%
Got preferred school
97.7%
All secondary applications across Suffolk council (2026/27), not just this school.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Learning Support, Southern Area Education Office
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Learning Support, Southern Area Education Office
What is the catchment area for Learning Support, Southern Area Education Office?
No fixed boundary. When Learning Support, Southern Area Education Office is oversubscribed, Suffolk allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How do I apply to Learning Support, Southern Area Education Office?
Apply through Suffolk's coordinated admissions process, naming Learning Support, Southern Area Education Office on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
Does Learning Support, Southern Area Education Office have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Learning Support, Southern Area Education Office: Ipswich Tuition Centre (430m away, registered, not yet graded) and Crash After School Club (880m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Learning Support, Southern Area Education Office?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 88 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 20 serious and 68 slight. 9 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 6 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 22 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Suffolk is 4 (the median across 365 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Learning Support, Southern Area Education Office?
Learning Support, Southern Area Education Office is at St Andrew House, County Hall, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 1LJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)