Summerhill School, Summerhill School

• Location: Leighton, United Kingdom,
• Year of foundation: 1921,
• Language of instruction: English,
• Type of training: joint.

Summerhill School is an independent boarding school with the possibility of full-time education.  About 100 people live on campus at the same time: about 75 are children and teenagers from 5 to 17 years old, the rest are teachers, educators and other staff.

The school charter contradicts games on the computer before 16:00; One of the basic rules is that all children and teenagers should get up on weekdays at 8:30. Employees vigilantly monitor the regime of boarders.

The vast majority of students at Summerhill School take the GCSE standardised exams during their studies. At the same time, the school community does not attach more or less importance to this or that type of education: as they grow up, each child is assigned a personal consultant who is responsible for his education after boarding school. The specialist helps the teenager to decide what is best to do after graduation, what steps need to be taken to achieve these goals, but what these goals are, each student must decide for himself. At a boarding school, wards are not forced to study hard for exams for years and experience severe stress due to a busy schedule just for the sake of grades.

• A.S. Neal, Scottish writer, rebel – and creator of Summerhill School! He is one of the top 12 outstanding personalities who have influenced British schooling over the past millennium according to the Times Educational Supplement.
• Zoe Reedhead, Neil's daughter, who was born and educated in a boarding school, took over the management of the school in September 1985.

Students at Summerhill School are divided into five groups, each of which lives in a separate residence. Settlement takes place at the beginning of the semester. In part, the results of the distribution depend on age, but factors such as the waiting period, the child's independence, the level of maturity, and communication skills are also taken into account.

Children and teenagers in their free time can focus on such extracurricular formats as drawing, wood carving, a club for young ecologists, music lessons and other creative and sports circles and sections. An alternative option is to play outside with your classmates to your heart's content! One of the foundations of the school's policy is that adults are not here to invent activities for children, they must find hobbies for themselves. Sports, games, creative workshops, thematic events and other entertainment are organized by both students and adults - in turn or together. For example, sometimes in the evenings, children with teachers make a fire, roast marshmallows, drink hot chocolate, watch fireworks and light sparklers.

International students bring a wonderful mix of cultures to the school, which expands the list of extracurricular activities. So, a few years ago, a group of schoolchildren from China organized a Lunar New Year celebration, and since then it has become an annual tradition.

• For 100+ years, Summerhill School has been offering its students an alternative learning option that is considered the most progressive and effective: it allows children and teenagers to remain themselves, learn and develop at their own pace.
• The campus is staffed by highly qualified, professional, and hardworking educators. The permanent staff includes almost 14 teachers and educators, sometimes external speakers and lecturers are invited to the school.
• Study group sizes are small, so staff can interact with children and young people in person.
• The list of subjects and additional electives is chosen by children and their parents or guardians themselves. In their free time, students are given the freedom of choice: they can play with friends, walk in parks, read or do other activities.
• Life at school is based on the principles of equality, so adult employees do not put themselves above children, teachers and students address each other simply by name.
• There is no compulsory uniform at school, children wear what they like. The administration will not say anything even if the child decides to dye his hair a bright color or come to lessons in kigurumi.

Summerhill School covers an area of 4 hectares and is surrounded by a garden and forest, with many trails and open areas for cycling, walking, building huts, climbing trees, making campfires, camping and imaginative play. In the summer, students can use the swimming pool, tennis court, playing field, basketball court, and a table tennis hall is available all year round.

The classrooms are located in a large old building built in the Victorian style. Nearby is the surrounding area, and two miles from the school is the Suffolk coast.

Additional costs:

• services of consultants, career counselors,
• Elective activities: e.g. music, horse riding, Chinese and Japanese, dance,
• school trips,
• pocket money.

To get into Summerhill School, parents and children need to:

• fill out a questionnaire and an application,
• collect a portfolio and recommendations,
• pay the entry fee,
• study the school rules and conditions of study,
• wait for the decision of the selection committee.

Graduates of Summerhill School most often continue their academic path at institutions that allow them to obtain an A-level, BTEC or GNVQ qualification.  The school staff prepares their wards for the fact that entering a university is not the only goal in life. Teenagers take career guidance tests, consider alternative options for the development of their future and are not afraid to set ambitious goals.

Over the years, the boarding school has released from its walls:

• Artists
• Doctors
• Lawyers
• Teachers
• university professors,
• Carpenters
• Scientists
• Musicians
• chefs,
• Actors
• Gardeners
• Farmers
• newspaper reporters,
• Directors
• Technicians
• Photographers
• Dancers
• Programmers
• Writers
• Entrepreneurs.

Summerhill School has an age limit for admission on a full-board basis: now the lower limit is 11 years. Students who do not plan to stay on the school campus for the entire academic year can start their studies here from the age of 5.

Since Summerhill School is a fee-paying school, not all families can afford to pay for a child's education for several years in a row. To help such parents and students, there are specialized organizations. To clarify the details of how you can get financial support, it is better to consult with our specialist.

A 5% discount can be obtained by families in which two or more children study at the same time.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision