Summerhill School: A New View of Childhood
A.S. Neill's account of Summerhill — the radical democratic school he founded in England in 1921 — where children are never compelled to attend lessons or obey adult authority.
A.S. Neill·1960
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A.S. Neill (1883–1973) was a Scottish progressive educator who in 1921 founded Summerhill School in Suffolk, England. Summerhill operates on the principle that children should be free to attend or skip classes as they choose, that school governance should be democratic (with each student and staff member having one vote), and that self-regulation is both possible and healthy in children. His 1960 book Summerhill sold over two million copies worldwide and sparked renewed interest in democratic education. Summerhill remains open today, run by his daughter Zoe Neill Readhead.
Key Ideas
- →Children have the right to live according to their own nature, not their parents' or teachers' expectations
- →Self-governance at Summerhill: all school rules are made and enforced by the democratic meeting
- →Freedom is not the same as license — children at Summerhill have freedom but not the right to interfere with others' freedom
- →Happiness in childhood is the foundation of healthy adult development