The main feature of Summerhill is self-government and freedom for the children. The founder A. S. Neill believed that children should be given an equal and self-determined life with freedom to develop their own personality. They should not have to conform to the expectations of their parents or any other authority. At Summerhill, therefore, pupils and teachers are on the same level. The rules that apply within the boarding school and the workshops are negotiated, agreed upon and determined collectively and on an equal footing in regularly held general assemblies. There is no strict division into grades according to age and the pupils themselves decide on their participation in lessons. Neill was convinced that children want to learn and that the learning environment improves when they are given the opportunity to make their own decisions. There is no homework, grades or exams.

Creating a free, equal and self-determined life and learning for children.

Model for many other schools and institutions (e.g. Sudbury schools in the 1960s)

Alexander Sutherland Neill