Summerhill

General information

Summerhill – That Dreadful School!

Summerhill School in Suffolk, England is the oldest and probably the best known democratic or ‘free’ school in the world.

Founded in 1921 by the late A.S.Neill, Summerhill has survived good times and bad over the years, including a well documented legal case in 2000 at the Royal Courts of Justice in London against the British government who were trying to change the school’s philosophy. The government capitulated and the school remains true to its original ideals. Neill’s books, the best known being “Summerhill”, have been translated into countless languages and still continue to be sold throughout the world.

Today the school is more popular than ever. Many thousands of visits to the website by students of education all over the world and others seeking another way of educating children are hopefully helping to change the old views and encourage new schools.

There is a recently formed trust fund to offer financial assistance to those parents who cannot afford the school fees and to help with the expense of promoting the ideas of A.S.Neill and offering resources to schools and colleges.