Summerhill School

Experimental primary and secondary boarding school in Leiston, Suffolk, England.

Founded in 1921 by Alexander Sutherland Neill (1883–1973), the school is self-governing (students and staff have a voice in policy matters) and emphasizes the student's own motivation to learn (class attendance is optional). Neill's highly influential and controversial book Summerhill (1960) stimulated much debate about alternatives to conventional schooling, particularly in the U.S.

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▪ school, Leiston, England, United Kingdom

      experimental primary and secondary coeducational boarding school in Leiston, Suffolk, Eng. Founded in 1921, it is famous for the revolutionary educational theories of its headmaster, A.S. Neill. The teaching methods and curriculum are flexible, and the accent is on contemporary needs rather than the traditional classical course of studies, although those also are offered. The school is self-governing (students and staff each have a voice in policy matters), and class attendance is optional; the children are free to do as they please except in concerns of safety, health, or interference with the rights of others. There are six forms (classes) organized more according to ability than to age. The curriculum is pre-university, with a heavy emphasis on arts and crafts. Although some have criticized its modern methods, its goals are traditional: to encourage personal achievement and integrity and to prepare students for advanced education and professional careers.

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