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= Summerhill School =
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Introduction
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Summerhill School is an independent (i.e. fee-paying) British boarding
school that 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. It is run as a democratic community; the running
of the school is conducted in the school meetings, which anyone, staff
or pupil, may attend, and at which everyone has an equal vote. These
meetings serve as both a legislative and judicial body. Members of the
community are free to do as they please, so long as their actions do
not cause any harm to others, according to Neill's principle "Freedom,
not Licence." This extends to the freedom for pupils to choose which
lessons, if any, they attend. It is an example of both democratic
education and alternative education.
History
======================================================================
In 1920, A. S. Neill started to search for premises in which to found
a new school which he could run according to his educational principle
of giving freedom to the children and staff through democratic
governance. On a trip to Europe, which started out as a research visit
into progressive schools on behalf of the Theosophical journal 'New
Era', he found the ideal accommodation in Hellerau near Dresden, a
village founded on principles that presaged the Garden City movement
in England. By combining with two other projects, the 'Neue Deutsche
Schule' (New German School), founded by Carl Thiess the previous year
and an existing school with many international students dedicated to
the teaching of Eurhythmics, a joint venture named the International
School or 'Neue Schule Hellerau' was launched. Neill's sector was
called the "foreign" school (in contrast to the Thiess's "German
School"). Jonathan Croall wrote, "This, in essence, was the beginning
of Summerhill" although the name Summerhill itself came later.
Neill was soon dissatisfied with Neue Schule's ethos, and moved his
sector of the organisation to Sonntagberg in Austria. Due to the
hostility of the local people, it moved again in 1923 to Lyme Regis in
England. The house in Lyme Regis was called Summerhill, and this
became the name of the school. In 1927, it moved to its present site
in Leiston, Suffolk, England. It had to move again temporarily to
Ffestiniog, Wales, during the Second World War so that the site could
be used as a British Army training camp.
After Neill died in 1973, it was run by his wife, Ena May Neill, until
1985.
Today it is a boarding and day school serving primary and secondary
education in a democratic fashion. It is now run by Neill's daughter,
Zoë Readhead.
Although the school's founding could arguably be dated to other years,
the school itself marks 1921 as the year of its establishment.
Schools based on Summerhill
======================================================================
Many schools opened based on Summerhill, especially in America in the
1960s. A common challenge was to implement Neill's dictum of "Freedom,
not licence": "A free school is not a place where you can run
roughshod over other people. It's a place that minimises the
authoritarian elements and maximises the development of community and
really caring about the other people. Doing this is a tricky
business."
Neill distanced himself from some schools for confusing freedom and
licence: "Look at those American Summerhill schools. I sent a letter
to the Greenwich Village Voice, in New York, disclaiming any
affiliation with any American school that calls itself a Summerhill
school. I've heard so many rumours about them. It's one thing to use
freedom. Quite another to use licence."
Government inspections
========================
Summerhill has had a less-than-perfect relationship with the British
government. Already in the 1950s a government inspection found the
school's finances were shaky, the number of students too high, and the
quality of teaching poor among the junior faculty. In spite of these
criticisms however, the inspectors apparently found the school
praiseworthy.
During the 1990s, the school was inspected nine times. It later
emerged that this was because OFSTED (The "OFfice for STandards in
EDucation") had placed Summerhill on a secret list of 61 independent
schools marked as 'TBW' (To Be Watched).
In March 1999, following a major inspection from OFSTED, the then
Secretary of State for Education and Employment, David Blunkett,
issued the school a notice of complaint, based on the school's policy
of non-compulsory lessons. Failure to comply with such a notice within
six months usually leads to closure; however, Summerhill chose to
contest the notice in court.
The case went before a special educational tribunal in March 2000, at
which the school was represented by noted human rights lawyers
Geoffrey Robertson QC and Mark Stephens. Four days into the hearing,
the government's case collapsed and a settlement was agreed. The
pupils attending the hearing on that day took over the courtroom and
held a school meeting to debate whether to accept the settlement. They
voted unanimously to do so.
The nature of the settlement was notably broader than could have been
decided on the judge's authority alone. The educational tribunal only
had the power to annul the notice of complaint, whereas the settlement
made provisions that Summerhill be inspected with respect to its
philosophy and values, that the voice of the child (through community
meetings and in other ways) be included in the inspection, and that
the inspectors be accompanied by two advisers from the school and one
from the DfE to ensure that the inspection respected the school's aims
and values. The school was the first in England to grant children a
legal right to formally express their opinions and to meet with the
inspectors. The DfE advisers have included Prof. Paul Hirst and Prof.
Geoff Whitty, Director of the Institute of Education and now on
OFSTED's governing body.
The first full inspection report since the disputed 1999 report was
published in 2007. The 2007 inspection, conducted within the framework
set out by the court settlement, was generally positive, even in areas
previously criticised by the 1999 report. The school maintained that
it had not changed its approach since the original inspection.
The full inspection on 5 October 2011 concluded that the school is
outstanding in all areas except teaching, which was seen as good, and
not outstanding due to issues of assessment.
In February 2013, the DfE unilaterally rescinded the court agreement
by claiming that OFSTED now understood the school and the court
mandated inspection process was no longer needed to ensure a fair
inspection. The school sent evidence and questions to the Select
Committee on Education for their meeting with the Chief Inspector of
Schools, Sir Michael Wilshaw, on 13 February 2013. The evidence quoted
a member of the Select Committee expressing shock at the lack of
processes for OFSTED to learn by its mistakes.
A. S. Neill Summerhill Trust
==============================
The A. S. Neill Summerhill Trust was launched in 2004 by Prof. Tim
Brighouse, Tom Conti, Bill Nighy, Mark Stephens and Geoffrey Robertson
QC to raise funds for bursaries for pupils from poorer families and to
promote democratic education around the world. It publishes an
electronic newsletter and organises fund-raising events. An elected
committee of schoolchildren, called the "External Affairs Committee",
have�over the years since the court case and with the support of the
Trust�promoted Summerhill as a case study to state schoolchildren,
teachers and educationalists at conferences, schools and events. They
have run full democratic meetings at the Houses of Parliament and
London's City Hall. They have lobbied four chief inspectors of schools
through the Select Committee on Education on the importance of
children's rights in schools and school inspections. They have
addressed the UNESCO Conference of Education Ministers, lobbied and
protested at the UN Special Conference on the Rights of the Child in
New York. They took an active part in advising and contributing to
events for the children's rights group Article 12. They continue to
work with schools, colleges and universities.
Philosophy and educational structure
======================================================================
Summerhill is noted for its philosophy that children learn best with
freedom from coercion. A philosophy that was promoted by the New
Ideals in Education Conferences (1914-37) that helped to define the
good modern primary school as child-centred. All lessons are optional,
and pupils are free to choose what to do with their time. Neill
founded Summerhill with the belief that "the function of a child is to
live his own life�-not the life that his anxious parents think he
should live, not a life according to the purpose of an educator who
thinks he knows best."
In addition to taking control of their own time, pupils can
participate in the self-governing community of the school. School
meetings are held twice a week, where pupils and staff alike have an
equal voice in the decisions that affect their day-to-day lives,
discussing issues and creating or changing school laws. The rules
agreed at these meetings are wide-ranging�from agreeing on acceptable
bed times to making nudity allowed around the pool and within the
classrooms. Meetings are also an opportunity for the community to vote
on a course of action for unresolved conflicts, such as a fine for a
theft (usually the fine consists of having to pay back the amount
stolen). If there is an urgent reason to have a meeting, children and
staff can ask the chairperson to hold a special meeting, and this is
written on the main whiteboard, before a meal time, so that the whole
school knows and can attend.
In creating its laws and dealing out sanctions, the school meeting
generally applies A. S. Neill's maxim "Freedom not Licence" (he wrote
a book of the same name); the principle that you can do as you please,
so long as it doesn't cause harm to others. For example, pupils may
swear within the school grounds, but calling someone else an offensive
name is licence.
Summerhill School operates upon the major principles of democracy,
equality and freedom.
Classes are voluntary at Summerhill. Although most students attend,
depending on their age and reasons, children choose whether to go of
their own accord and without adult compulsion. The staff discuss new
children and those who they feel may have issues that interfere with
their freedom to choose (e.g., fear of classrooms, shyness to learn in
front of others, lack of confidence), and propose and vote on
interventions, if needed, during staff meetings. This is called the
'Special Attention List'. The staff meet at least twice a week to
discuss issues; those relevant to the community will be brought to a
community meeting. Children can attend these meetings when they ask,
but are asked to leave when individual students are discussed, to
maintain the privacy of the student.
Academics
===========
Although Neill was more concerned with the social development of
children than their academic development, Summerhill nevertheless has
some important differences in its approach to teaching. There is no
concept of a "year" or "form" at Summerhill. Instead, children are
placed according to their interest or level of understanding in a
given subject. It is not uncommon for a single class to have pupils of
widely varying ages, or for pupils as young as 13 or 14 to take GCSE
examinations. This structure reflects a belief that children should
progress at their own pace, rather than having to meet a set standard
by a certain age.
There are also two classrooms which operate on a "drop-in" basis for
all or part of the day, the workshop and the art room. Anyone can come
to these classrooms and, with supervision, make just about anything.
Children commonly play with wooden toys (usually swords or guns) they
have made themselves, and much of the furniture and décor in the
school has been likewise constructed by students.
Neill believed that children who were educated in this way were better
prepared than traditionally educated children for most of life's
challenges�including higher education. He wrote that Summerhill
students who decided to prepare for university entrance exams were
able to finish the material faster than pupils of traditional schools.
Inspector accounts assert that this was inaccurate, and that
interested pupils were disadvantaged by their dearth of preparation.
However, Michael Newman has argued that the inspectors assumed that
lesson attendance was necessary evidence of children learning, and
that lack of attendance was equated with a lack of learning. Newman
says the inspectors refused to accept as evidence the students' exam
results, verbal evidence from teachers, current and previous children,
and the success of children after leaving Summerhill.
The Summerhill classroom was popularly assumed to reflect Neill's
anti-authoritarian beliefs, but in fact classes were traditional in
practice. Neill did not show outward interest in classroom pedagogy,
and was mainly interested in pupil happiness. He did not consider
lesson quality important, and thus there were no distinctive
Summerhillian classroom methods. Neill also felt that charismatic
teachers taught with persuasion that weakened child autonomy.
Today the school peer-reviews its teachers, and has policies and
systems in place to ensure the quality of teaching. Since Zoë Readhead
took over as Principal, the school has developed an ethos of keeping
its staff, through increase in wages and conditions of work. And there
is an ongoing review and development of methods of teaching,
assessment and record-keeping.
The staff now share with each other their methods, especially in
relation to numeracy and literacy learning. The music department have
developed over several years, including action research, methods of
supporting spontaneous music performance, creativity and development
of expression through music. This is being shared with the rest of the
staff. The school has always had a creative drama delivery, based on
spontaneous acting and development of plays through collaboration
between actors, directors and writers. With small-group teaching and
negotiated timetables, the curriculum is presented in multi-sensory,
individual-focused lessons, with flexibility to respond to the
student's needs.
Boarding houses and pastoral care
===================================
Children at Summerhill are placed in one of five groups which
correspond to the buildings in which they are accommodated. Placement
is generally decided at the beginning of term by the Principal, in
theory according to age. In practice, a younger child may take
priority if they have been waiting a long time for a place, if they
have many friends in the upper group, or if they show a maturity
characteristic of a member of the upper group.
Certain school rules pertain specifically to certain age groups. For
instance, no one else may ride a 'San' child's bicycle, and only
'Shack' and 'Carriage' children are allowed to build camp fires. The
rules concerning when children must go to bed are also made according
to age group.
Bedrooms generally accommodate four or five children.
Houseparents
==============
Each of the boarding houses has a "houseparent": a member of staff
whose duty is pastoral care. The duties of a houseparent include doing
their charges' laundry, treating minor injuries and ailments, taking
them to the doctor's surgery or hospital for more serious complaints
and general emotional support. Depending on the age group, they might
also tell them bedtime stories, keep their valuables secure, escort
them into town to spend their pocket money, or speak on their behalf
in the meetings.
San
=====
Ages 6-8 (approx)
The San building is an outbuilding, near the primary classrooms; its
name derives from the fact that it was originally built as a
sanatorium. When there proved to be insufficient demand for a separate
sanatorium, it was given over to accommodation for the youngest
children and their houseparent. At one time, San children were housed
in the main school building, and the San building was used as the
library. They have since moved back, and the rooms they previously
occupied now house the Cottage children.
The laws of the school generally protect San children, both by
disallowing them from engaging in certain dangerous activities and
preventing older children from bullying, swindling or otherwise
abusing their juniors. San children have the right to bring up their
cases at the beginning of the school meeting or have another student
or a teacher bring the issue or issues up on their behalf.
San children can sleep in mixed-sex rooms, while older children have
single-sex rooms.
Cottage
=========
Ages 9-10 (approx)
Cottage children were originally housed in Neill's old cottage, at the
edge of the school grounds. For some time, the San wholly replaced the
Cottage, but Cottage children are now housed in the main school
building.
House
=======
Ages 12-13 (approx)
House children are accommodated in the main school building, called
simply "the House".
Shack
=======
Ages 13-14 (approx)
The Shack buildings (there are two, the Boys' Shack and the Girls'
Shack) are small outbuildings, so called because of the somewhat
ramshackle nature of their original construction. The buildings have
since been renovated.
Children of Shack age and above are expected to take a more active
role in running the school, standing for committees, chairing the
meetings, acting as ombudsmen to resolve disputes and speaking in the
school meetings. Of course, younger children can take on some of these
roles if they so wish, and few of them are compulsory, even for the
older children. The only compulsory role is to be added to a rotation
to supervise work fines.
Carriages
===========
Ages 15+ (approx)
The carriage buildings are similar to those of the Shack, only larger.
However, they were originally converted rail carriages. Since the last
renovation, the Boys' Carriage building incorporates a bathroom,
shower, kitchenette and the Girls' Carriages a common room and shower
block (other bathrooms in the main building have only baths). Either
facility may be used by both sexes and all areas.
The Carriage children each have individual rooms. They are expected to
do their own laundry and generally look after themselves. This is not
to say that they have no houseparent, just that as part of their
increased freedom they must take on additional responsibility.
Conflict resolution
=====================
There are two main methods of resolving conflicts at Summerhill.
Ombudsmen
===========
In the first instance, one should go to an ombudsman to resolve a
conflict. The ombudsmen are an elected committee of older members of
the community, whose job it is to intervene in disputes. One party
will go and find an ombudsman and ask for an "Ombudsman Case". Often,
all the ombudsman has to do is warn someone to stop causing a
nuisance. Sometimes, if the dispute is more complex, the ombudsman
must mediate. If the conflict cannot be resolved there and then, or
the ombudsman's warnings are ignored, the case can be brought before
the school meeting.
In special cases, the meeting sometimes assigns an individual their
own "special ombudsman", an ombudsman who only takes cases from one
person. This usually happens if a particular child is being
consistently bullied, or has problems with the language (in which case
someone who is bilingual, in English and the language of the child in
question, is chosen as the ombudsman.)
The tribunal
==============
The tribunal is the school meeting which concerns itself with people
who break the school rules. Sometimes there is a separate meeting for
the tribunal, and sometimes the legislative and judicial meetings are
combined. This is itself a matter which can be decided by the meeting.
A "tribunal case" consists of one person "bringing up" another, or a
group of people. The person bringing the case states the problem, the
chairperson asks those accused if they did it, and if they have
anything to say, then calls for any witnesses. If the accused admits
to the offence, or there are reliable witness statements, the chair
will call for proposals. Otherwise, the floor is opened to discussion.
If there is no clear evidence as to who is guilty (for instance, in
the case of an unobserved theft), the "investigation committee" is
often called upon. The investigation committee has the power to search
people's rooms or lockers, and to question people. They will bring the
case back to the next meeting if they are able to obtain any new
evidence. In a community as small as Summerhill, few events go totally
unnoticed and matters are usually resolved quickly.
Once it has been established that a person has broken the rules, the
meeting must propose and then vote to decide a fine. There is no such
thing as a 'standard fine', no equivalent to a judge's sentencing
guidelines, and most fines are given with consideration to the factors
involved, such as severity of the offence, intent behind the action,
consequences to others, remorse and/or behaviour displayed during the
meeting, and whether it was a repeat offence. Fines can include a
"strong warning" administered by the chair, a monetary fine, loss of
privileges (for instance, not being allowed out of school, or being
the last to be served lunch), or a "work fine" (e.g., picking up
litter for a set time or similar job of benefit to the community). In
the case of theft, it is usually considered sufficient for the thief
to return what was stolen. Although there are some rare cases where
the property stolen is no longer in the possession of the thief; in
these cases, the thief is given a more severe fine and is questioned
as to where the property has been sent.
Notoriety and criticism
======================================================================
Summerhill received most of its public attention in two waves: the
1920s/30s and 1960s/70s. In particular, the 1960 American edition of
Neill's writings, 'Summerhill', made the school into an example for a
wide public, and led to an American movement with copycat schools. A.
S. Neill's biographer Richard Bailey linked this increased interest to
the wider society's interest in social change (progressivism and the
counterculture, respectively), though he added that Neill was not
influenced by this reception.
Richard Bailey argued that the students' free choice of what to learn
may leave them unexposed to subject matter which they do not know to
exist, and also may narrow their exposure to subjects fashionable in a
given time period. The school has said it now has mechanisms in place
to alleviate such concerns.
Bailey reviews an account of an algebra lesson taught by Neill, and
describes Neill's teaching technique as "simply awful", for his lack
of pupil engagement, inarticulate explanations, and insults directed
at pupils. Bailey criticised Neill's avoidance of responsibility for
his pupils' academic performance, and his view that charismatic
instruction was a form of persuasion that weakened child autonomy.
Bailey also did find, however, that the media were unreasonably
critical in their coverage of the school. For instance they tended to
emphasize casual teacher-pupil relations and lack of compulsory
classes, instead of the weekly meeting. They also represented
Summerhill's pupils as unrestricted and anarchic, to an unrealistic
degree.
Sexual licence
================
Mikey Cuddihy, a graduate of Summerhill, wrote that in the 1960s: "It
was common for students to get married in mock weddings, and they were
allowed to sleep together...More worryingly, sexual relations between
students and teachers were also common...Neill's 35-year-old stepson
Myles, who taught pottery...went out with some of the more senior
pupils (because) he has a special dispensation."
In his book 'Summerhill' (1960), Neill shows an influence of Wilhelm
Reich's theories, e.g., promoting adolescent sexual activity, and
claiming that a negative attitude towards masturbation causes juvenile
delinquency.
Although Neill was not a trained psychotherapist, he held amateur
psychoanalytic sessions with some of his children. These sessions were
designed to "unblock" the "energies" of the children. For this purpose
Neill also gave body massages to the children, a technique advocated
by Reich. In 'Summerhill', Neill gave accounts of such psychoanalytic
sessions.
Neill wrote that "Promiscuity is neurotic; it is a constant change of
partner in the hope of finding the right partner at last. [...] If the
term 'free love' has a sinister meaning, it is because it describes
sex that is neurotic."
Notable former pupils
======================================================================
* John Burningham, children's author and illustrator
* Keith Critchlow, artist and professor of architecture
* Rebecca De Mornay, actress
* Storm Thorgerson, rock album cover designer
* Gus Dudgeon, record producer
In fiction and television
======================================================================
Enid Blyton's 'The Naughtiest Girl' series of novels, written in the
1940s and 50s, were her first series about school-aged children, and
they were set in a school based on Summerhill, with democratic
community meetings allowing the children to make decisions about the
school and 'punishments' etc.
Ira Levin's novel 'Rosemary's Baby' (1967) has the main character
reading a copy of Neill's book 'Summerhill' and discussing it with her
friends.
The school was the subject of the 1987 ITV documentary 'Being Happy is
What Matters Most'. This was later parodied in the 1997 Channel 4
documentary show 'Brass Eye' in its second episode, "Drugs". The
fictional documentary entitled 'The Drumlake Experiment' featured an
interview with the school's headmaster, Donaldus Matthews, played by
David Cann.
In 1991 Zoe Readhead made an extended appearance on the Channel 4
discussion programme 'After Dark' alongside among others the 13-year
old James Harries.
In 1992, Channel 4's documentary show 'Cutting Edge' created an
episode on 'Summerhill at 70', broadcast on 30 March.
In 2008 BBC1, CBBC and BBC Four aired a miniseries called
'Summerhill'. The show was set in Summerhill and presented a highly
fictionalised version of the 2000 court case and the events leading up
to it. Much of the production was recorded on location at Summerhill
and used pupils as extras. The production presented an unabashedly
positive view of the school as the Director, Jon East, wanted to
challenge the present paradigm of what a school is, as presented in
popular culture. It received two BAFTAs, including one for script, by
Alison Hume
See also
======================================================================
*Anarchistic free school
*ERA School
*European Democratic Education Community
*European Democratic Education Conference
*International Democratic Education Conference - I.D.E.C.
*Democratic education
*Reggio Emilia approach
*Sudbury schools
*Deschooling Society
Further reading
======================================================================
*
* � A compilation of old & new writings from Mark Vaughan, Tim
Brighouse, A. S. Neill, Zoë Neill Readhead and Ian Stronach
* � A recent first-hand account of life as a member of staff at
Summerhill
* � A collection of essays, arguing both in favour and against the
school's approach
* � This is mainly a biography of Neill but of course has plenty of
material about the school and Neill's ideas
*
* A selection of autobiographical accounts taken from interviews with
one student from every decade of Summerhill's existence.
*Mikey Cuddihy, 'A Conversation About Happiness', Atlantic Books, May
2015,
General
=========
*[
http://www.summerhillschool.co.uk Summerhill School website]
*[
https://web.archive.org/web/20050830073301/http://www.think-twice.org.uk/2002/
anderson/
Summerhill: Education for Democracies]
*[
https://web.archive.org/web/20090316052935/http://www.jessiecave.com/summerhil
l/
Website about Summerhill (CBBC series)]
*[
https://vimeo.com/30157383 Summerhill at 70] Channel 4 short
documentary on "pairing up" ceremony, 6 October 2011
*Shepherd, Jessica.
"[
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/dec/01/ofsted.schools So, kids,
anyone for double physics? (But no worries if you don't fancy it)]".
'The Guardian', 1 December 2007
OFSTED
========
*[
http://www.selfmanagedlearning.org/Summerhill/RepMain.htm Report of
an independent inspection] ([
http://summerhill.paed.com/summ/sml.htm
Archived link]) An independent report in response to the 1999
inspection
*[
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/actionnetwork/G2593 Campaign site to
rescind the Summerhill 1999 Ofsted Report] Lots of information about
the school's fight for survival
*[
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmeduski/426/426.pdf
'The Work of Ofsted - Sixth Report of Session 2003-04] House of
Commons Education and Skills Committee report on the role of Ofsted
*[
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/CA
RE/SC024584
Ofsted care report from 2007]
*[
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/688152.stm BBC: Summerhill
closure threat lifted]
*[
https://www.academia.edu/9262056/When_evidence_is_not_enough_freedom_to_choose
_versus_proscribed_choice_the_case_of_Summerhill_School
Article by member of staff discussing the significance and events of
the court case] An examination of the court case and what it means
about our education system.
License
=========
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License URL:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summerhill_School
