The A.S.Neill Summerhill Trust was created for two main purposes.

The first aim is to raise funds for assisted places so that a wider range of pupils can benefit from the experience of Summerhill. At present any parent or child with an alternative philosophy on education is not catered for by the government.

Over the years the school has unofficially managed to help a number of children, but this has been at the expense of other important things. If the school is to continue it must be able to afford the numerous extra expenses incurred by modern life, such as health and safety requirements, security, staffing, etc. There are also other on-going areas desperate for attention, such as the roof of the main building!

There are many, many children and parents who would love to enjoy the Summerhill experience, but they cannot afford the fees. Assistance for them is not about ‘gaining the benefit of a private education' - it is about allowing children and parents the freedom to choose a school system that suits their own principles.

During our recent court-case against the government it became clear that Summerhill is not just a school with a unique philosophy – it is a part of education history world-wide. All historical sites need some financial help to remain viable and Summerhill is no exception.
The second aim of the Trust is to promote the extensive writings and work of A. S. Neill and the present day practices of Summerhill School. There is an on-going need to promote Summerhill's international and historical importance on the world education stage.

Neill was voted by the Times Educational Supplement to be one of the 12 most important educators of the last millennium.
This aspect of the Trust's work will focus on the many ideas of Neill on how children learn, how adults in authority should behave towards children and young people and the importance of play in the learning process.

There is to be a regular Newsletter giving up to date information about the School; the seminal book by Neill titled Summerhill, which was a world-wide best-seller, is to be updated and re-issued in 2005 (hopefully by the Open University Press).

In this part of the Trust's work, there are plans to issue a variety of publications aimed at the mainstream school and teacher, as well as offering consultation and training to ordinary schools about the best practices at Summerhill. In the longer term it is hoped to offer residential placements at Summerhill for teachers and others to learn from the 'Summerhill experience'

Donations may be made to the Trust by cheque, credit card on-line or by direct debit.

By choosing to GIFT AID a donation to the Trust you can provide extra income to the Trust, at no extra cost to yourself. For every £1.00 you donate, we can claim 28p on your behalf. It costs you nothing and the Trust benefits.

All you need do is to let us know by post, phone fax or email that you wish to make a GIFT AID donation to the Trust, which is a registered charity, and we can claim your tax back from the Inland Revenue

Further information is available from:

The A. S. Neill Summerhill Trust
Hill Farm
Theberton
Leiston
Suffolk
IP16 4TD