Barefoot in November

Parenting the Summerhill way

A radical new book on parenting and how children are educated, based on the world-renowned Summerhill School in England, ‘Barefoot in November. Parenting the Summerhill Way’ suggests that families could benefit from some Summerhillian practices.

The author is Zoë Neill Readhead, Principal of Summerhill for 36 years and daughter of the school’s founder A. S. Neill.

‘Summerhill might be a kind of blueprint for family life.’ As a pupil at her father’s school, then as a parent of four and a grandparent, and now Principal since 1985, Zoë suggests she has seen a spectrum of childhood and of parenting that probably nobody else living has had the privilege to see.

She says ‘… children do not belong to us and they owe us nothing. Our children are not here for us to “own”, but here for themselves. We cannot impair their lives with our own hang-ups, selfish wishes or needs.’ She says we should treat our children with the kind of respect we would show an adult, and make sure that children have a voice within the family.

Throughout the book, Zoë is unequivocal about her support for parents and parenting: ‘I love parents. I love seeing them out with their children at supermarkets, in the park, at the zoo. I have such respect for the fact that these people are ready to change their whole lives for that little scrap of a person who arrives with such a flourish of trumpets and proceeds to take over everything!’

Chapters include:

  • Freedom

  • Equality

  • Ourselves as parents

  • Expectations

  • Justice and fairness

  • We all get it wrong sometimes

  • Don’t try to make life perfect

At present only available on amazon, hopefully soon to be translated into a number of languages….

Note to editors: For review copies of the book, contact Summerhill School +44 (0)1728 830540 ‘Barefoot in November. Parenting the Summerhill way’. £10. Published by the A. S. Neill Summerhill Trust (Registered Charity No. 1089804).

“For 36 years now Zoë Neill Readhead has been running the internationally known Summerhill School in Suffolk, founded exactly a hundred years ago by her father, the pioneering Scotsman A. S. Neill. Her book about ‘Parenting the Summerhill Way’ is infused with his spirit and ideas, but it is also shot through with the wisdom and the experiences she has gained over the years, both as a mother, and in dealing with children who have come to Summerhill from all over the world.

As she writes: ‘The very nature of the place, with its freedom and self-regulation and its strong community spirit, has enabled us to learn a lot about raising children.’She offers parents a potent mixture of radical ideas and sensible views about the needs of children – for justice and fairness, for their need for space, for the freedom to play. Her book includes many examples of these ideas being put into action, backed up by a series of pithy quotes from Neill himself.

— Jonathan Croall, Author of Neill of Summerhill: The Permanent Rebel., Your Content Goes Here

 “Zoë Readhead’s Summerhill School has been a beacon of hope and a route to responsible adulthood for so many youngsters and their parents for many generations. Now, just as a combination of social media, pandemic restrictions and a threatening future has made being a ‘good enough parent’ so much more difficult Zoë has written a book on parenting – and for that matter grandparenting – which every parent should have at their elbow.”

“If they follow its advice, their children and grandchildren will have a better chance of navigating successfully the long years of childhood and especially the joys, sadness and hazards of adolescence. Then the beloved next generation will stand the best chance of emerging as responsible fulfilled adult citizens committed to think for themselves and act for others. Thanks to Zoë’s book, the ‘Summerhill way’ will reach into many more homes and shape the future for the better.”

— Professor Tim Brighouse, December 2021, Your Content Goes Here