Summerhill School Example News 4

The A.S.Neill Archive and Research Centre

For nearly 100 years, Summerhill School, founded by A.S.Neill in 1921, has championed education of the whole child through democracy and self-regulation. A.S.Neill’s ideas about childhood and learning have influenced generations of educators and many of Summerhill’s innovations have shifted global understanding around education. Summerhill’s values continue to provide solid foundations upon which inclusive and mutually respectful communities can be built.

Summerhill is still ahead of its time

As part of our Centenary Celebrations (www.100yearsofsummerhill.co.uk), we are creating the A.S.Neill Archive and Research Centre, a purpose built space comprising an archive, library, conference centre, training suite, event and exhibition space and virtual learning facilities. This exciting learning space will have the ability to stream conference and workshop activity to an international audience, produce webcasts and connect with university courses and seminars.

Partnerships

Our Centre will support meaningful research partnerships with universities, schools and national governments. The main aim will be to encourage an in-depth understanding of the Summerhill values in relation to childhood, education, community and humanity as well as to support those working within these fields to discern which elements could be implemented in their settings.

Archive

Given the importance of A.S.Neill’s writings and Summerhill’s experience, the Centre will collate, catalogue and preserve more than a century’s worth of archive materials some dating from before the school’s foundation. It will also act as a living archive of Summerhill School itself, constantly producing and preserving unique information about community life within the oldest children’s democracy in the world. A specialised passive archive facility will enable the A.S.Neill Centre to protect the legacy of Summerhill and its founder while also enabling the experience, methods and insights to be studied, researched and shared broadly for the benefit of the educational thinking and practice internationally.

Demand

Both A.S.Neill’s writings and his philosophy’s continued influence on global educational practice as well as the school’s enduring success has led to Summerhill being one of the most inspirational schools and communities for the past 100 years. As a result, the national and international demand to visit and experience Summerhill from teachers, schools, educationalists, researchers and students, has been exceeding the school’s hosting capacity without infringing on the community itself. To meet this demand, which is only set to grow with the approaching centenary and beyond, a dedicated centre is required that can host meaningful visits for study, sharing knowledge and innovation and has the facilities to reach out to many more people virtually. There is also a burning need to properly catalogue and archive a very broad range of materials, records, manuscripts, minutes, diaries and photographs for long term public benefit.