SOME QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

During the course of a year, we at Summerhill, receive many enquiries from all over the world about our school and the philosophy behind it. These are answers to some the most often asked questions. We hope they will be useful to you.

How do pupils fit into the outside world after what is, surely, a sheltered environment at Summerhill?

We feel that Summerhill pupils are better prepared for the outside world than most other young people. Pupils at Summerhill are used to being in control of their own lives and making decisions for themselves - just as all adults do in their daily lives. They decide what to do, when, and how to do it. Critics say there are many things in the outside world which have to be done, such as earning a living. They believe that our pupils will find it difficult to adapt, as there is no compulsion at Summerhill. The implication that you cannot do boring, mundane or unpleasant things without being trained by compulsion is, of course, absolute rubbish. Summerhill pupils face similar situations in their everyday lives at the school all the time. There are many, many things that need to be done in order to keep the community running. If we, the members of the community do not do them, then they do not get done at all. Instead of being compelled to do things by somebody else, you have to take responsibility for yourself and the community around you. You have to be self-motivated. This is true of all of us in adult life. We have no big “teacher” standing by to tell us what to do. We have to get on and deal with things by ourselves. At Summerhill we feel that children in other schools are being disadvantaged by the fact that they have no decision making processes to learn from, making it very difficult when they subsequently leave school and have to start living in the adult world. The popular belief that Summerhill is a wild, unstructured society is totally untrue. Because of the many laws at Summerhill which govern our lives (there are approx. 230 at the present time) the pupils are used to a strong framework. Living in a democratic society where grievances are heard twice each week in the school meetings gives the pupils a strong sense of justice as well as an ability to listen to, and understand, the other person's point of view. Thus they are well prepared for interacting with others in the outside world. Although they, like many others, will find some rules petty and unnecessary, they are tolerant and understanding enough to deal with it.

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A typical Meeting case	\|	Do Summerhill pupils take exams?

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