Does anyone remember Summerville

Factual Questions
1

I want to start with a disclaimer.
I don’t usually post much here and I restrict most of my reading to Cafe Society so I don’t know if this is the appropriate forum for my question. If not I offer my apologies to the moderators and ask them to move my thread.

I have a project for school where I have to research a utopic community. I once read about a Summerville ( or Somerville or any other spelling ) school in England with a rather interesting theory of education in wich the students had an equal share of decision making as the adults.

I think it functioned throughout the 50’s and I remember that it was a failure, with the students leaving school completly unprepared for life.

I searched everywhere and was unable to find any site about it. My mother also remembers this school so I know it existed.

Can any Doper refer me to a link or give me any information concerning Summerville?

Thanks.

2

I remember the school well. It flourished at least until the late eighties, though may have been closed down now. I thought this would be an easy post, as when I was training to be a teacher it was the most famous example of a counter culture school. But I googled a big fat zero. I guess if it existed before 1990 it doesn’t exist on the seb. I can’t even remember how to spell it correctly anymore!

3

just remembered it is summerhill! visit http://www.s-hill.demon.co.uk/ - the school still lives. Also check out any books by A.S. NEILL who founded the school

4

Thanks!