Social and Emotional Development
“Summerhill is a happy and caring environment, but it recognises the importance of expressing emotions and learning through feelings.
There is a general openness and honesty among the community members”
— A.S. Neill, who believed Summerhill is the most sincere place in the world.
By far the most important aspect of life at this remarkable school is that everybody lives together in a community of mixed ages, genders, personalities and nationalities.
Most of the time we just get on with the daily life of running a community which all the trails and tribulations that go with it. Almost all of the pupils and adults live in the school for three terms each year, though there are always a few ‘day’ pupils, usually in transition to boarding. Boarding at Summerhill is seen by the pupils as a really positive thing. It gives them not only ownership and a deep love for this community that will be with them for a lifetime but also independence and possession over their own childhood.
Living in an environment where everybody has equal status, and where honesty and open emotion are the everyday norm, pupils naturally acquire a high degree of emotional intelligence, or EQ, which is most sought after in many work environments. They leave the school with outstanding personal skills and the ability to communicate, negotiate and compromise, three important basic needs in life, whatever the road that is taken. As well as this, Summerhill pupils develop, through living in the community as they do, a powerful sense of understanding and compassion for the problems of others.
The weekly meetings enable them to appreciate the importance of themselves as individuals and how their involvement can impact upon the picture as a whole.
The adults in the community are, of course, in a caring role and take that responsibility very seriously — but work hard to ensure that it doesn’t affect the equality in their relationships with the pupils. It is this real equality that assists the pupils in their development of their own self confidence and feelings of self worth. Summerhill pupils interact with everybody as complete equals, whatever their backgrounds or role, while retaining the ability to listen and learn through honest heartfelt discussion both among themselves and with the adults in the school.