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 adults do in their daily lives. They decide what to do, when, and how to do it. One of the major failings in the wider education system is the lack of opportunities for children to learn about taking responsibility for their own actions, the consequences of their decision making, and how to put things right when they have made a wrong decision.

Critics say there are many things in the outside world that 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. Actually 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 their narrow curriculum that does not look after their emotional growth or offer 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 untrue. Because of the many laws at Summerhill that govern our lives the pupils are used to a strong framework. Living in a democratic society where grievances are aired 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 in the outside world. Although when they move to life outside they, like many others, may find some rules petty and unnecessary, they are tolerant and understanding enough to deal with it.