Summerhill School, Leiston
Summerhill School is an independent school for pupils aged 5 to 18 in Leiston. It is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) rather than Ofsted; its most recent ISI inspection was a routine inspection in November 2023.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Summerhill School in detail
Results
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for Summerhill School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
Who goes there
In 2026, 14 pupils (27.5%) received SEN support and 6 (11.8%) had an education, health and care plan.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Summerhill School.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport)
Key Information
DfE GIASISI Inspection Reports
Independent schools in England are inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), not Ofsted. Ofsted last inspected this school in 5 October 2011, before the latest ISI inspection.
Routine Inspection
28 November 2023
Regulatory Compliance
5 June 2019
Educational Quality / Focused Compliance
2 November 2016
Focused Compliance Inspection
2 November 2016
About
Summerhill School is an independent day and boarding school in Leiston, Suffolk, England. It was founded in 1921 by Alexander Sutherland Neill with the belief that the school should be made to fit the child, rather than the other way around.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for Summerhill School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
GCSE Subjects Offered
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
Keep up with Summerhill School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 2 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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
School Occupancy
57%
Available places
51 pupils
90 places
39 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Leiston
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Leiston
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.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
14
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
39.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
51
Total Pupils
30
Boys
21
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Summerhill School
Questions parents ask about Summerhill School
What are GCSE results like at Summerhill School?
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for Summerhill School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
When was Summerhill School last inspected?
Summerhill School is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) rather than Ofsted. Its most recent ISI inspection was a routine inspection in November 2023.
How many pupils go to Summerhill School?
Summerhill School has around 51 pupils on roll.
How do I apply to Summerhill School?
Summerhill School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Summerhill School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 2 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Summerhill School?
Summerhill School is at Westward Ho, LEISTON, Leiston, Suffolk, IP16 4HY.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)