Learning Support, Western Area Education Office, Bury St Edmunds
Learning Support, Western Area Education Office is an all-through school for pupils aged 5 to 16 in Bury St Edmunds.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Learning Support, Western Area Education Office in detail
Getting a place at Learning Support, Western 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, Western Area Education Office are King Edward VI CEVC School (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 42.4); Bury St Edmunds County High School (1.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.8); St Benedict's Catholic School (1.5 miles, Attainment 8 51.9); and Sybil Andrews Academy (1.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 52.6).
King Edward VI CEVC SchoolBury St Edmunds County High SchoolSt Benedict's Catholic SchoolSybil Andrews Academy
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Entrance, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Brewery (adjacent), 200 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 158 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and other theft. 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, Western Area Education Office are Guildhall Feoffment Community Primary School (0.2 miles), St Edmund's Catholic Primary School (0.4 miles), Hardwick Primary School (0.5 miles) and Sebert Wood Community Primary School (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Guildhall Feoffment Community Primary SchoolSt Edmund's Catholic Primary SchoolHardwick Primary SchoolSebert Wood Community Primary School
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 1 nearby all-through school
Keep up with Learning Support, Western Area Education Office
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Learning Support, Western Area Education Office.
- Hardwick B & A Club910m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 13
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 5 serious and 7 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
2 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 - Bury St Edmunds
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bury St Edmunds
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, Western Area Education Office
Questions parents ask about Learning Support, Western Area Education Office
What is the catchment area for Learning Support, Western Area Education Office?
No fixed boundary. When Learning Support, Western 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, Western Area Education Office?
Apply through Suffolk's coordinated admissions process, naming Learning Support, Western 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, Western Area Education Office have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Learning Support, Western Area Education Office: Hardwick B & A Club (910m 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, Western Area Education Office?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 5 serious and 7 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 2 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, Western Area Education Office?
Learning Support, Western Area Education Office is at New Shire Hall, Raingate Street, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP33 2AR.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)