The bestowal of freedom is the bestowal of love. New generations must be given the chance to grow in freedom. But the Summerhill idea is of the greatest importance to humanity. “The future of Summerhill itself may be of little import. The education pioneer did not show outward interest in classroom pedagogy, and was mainly interested in student happiness. Neill wrote 20 books, but his top seller was the 1960 Summerhill, read widely in the free school movement in the 1960s onwards. While Neill had anti-authoritarian beliefs, classes were traditional in practice. It gained notoriety in the 1920s–1930s and then in the 1960s–1970s, due to progressive and counter-culture interest. What makes Summerhill different is its philosophy of freedom from adult coercion and its community self-governance. The children make their own rules in a weekly parliament and there was no ‘Sir’, just ‘Neil’. Watch this (frankly quite amazing) Pathé film from 1946. Neill’s books have been translated into countless languages and continue to be a source of inspiration across the globe. Today the life-changing school is more popular than ever, regularly approached by students of education and education pioneers seeking inspiration for setting up their own schools which have children’s rights at their core. A.S. Staff and pupils have always had equal say in the running of the school as a democratic community, operated according to founder Alexander Sutherland Neill‘s belief that a school should be made to fit the child, rather than making the child fit the school. At Summerhill, adults and children have equal rights. Add to that the constant battle with financing and it is amazing that it is still here, not only surviving, but thriving. Founded back in 1921, the oldest and probably most famous democratic school in the world has survived against all the odds – having been attacked by the press, misrepresented by the media and harassed by inspectors throughout its history. Pupils have been swinging from the trees at Summerhill School for a century. project_headline Enter the world's most famous democratic school.project_website_title_2 project_leader Henry Readhead, Deputy Principal, Summerhill School & team of 100 international volunteers.project_website_title_1 110 Years of Summerhill event.

Alexander sutherland neill summerhill