Keep it in the Family
Family and kinship are a part of our mammal nature. How do they relate to our choices in education? Is it right for the state to work against our primal instincts.
Details
Public or Private
Public schools or private schools? What do you think? Here I argue that paying for education yourself gives you freedoms the state would never allow.
Details
Do schools have to be so expensive?
Schools are expensive. It is not just the buildings. The staffing, maintenance and resourcing all cost money and, if you do not have the financial clout of the state, you have to pass that cost along to the parents of the children you serve. This means that a decent alternative school is always out of…
DetailsNew Privacy Law: What it Means
There is a new law in Europe about digital privacy. We have looked at it. Here is some information for you so that you can decide what you want to do. We do not keep files on our followers, either here or on Facebook. We do not collect any personal information. When you follow us,…
Details
Teach Them Right From Wrong
Do you think we should teach difference between right and wrong? I don’t. Here’s why.
DetailsA Good Enough Reason
A good enough reason? If Summerhill matters, it is not because of what happens in one school in one hidden corner of England. If it matters it is because it responds to our feeling that there is something wrong with the world. It seems to offer a way out. Your definition of what is wrong…
Details
Community and Modernity
Is Summerhill an African idea? My flatmates in Edinburgh certainly thought so. They didn’t think it could work in the UK, but it was just the way they had grown up.
DetailsFreedom of Speech: Floral Prints and Turbans
Free speech is a pillar of a modern democracy. What do you feel about varieties of outlook?
Details
The Essentials: Big, Little or In Between
Big Little or In Between Here There and Everywhere We’ve been talking about democracy and scale … size of the school and the building and the finances and the student population and the number of staff and so on. Can a democratic free school environment work regardless of scale; how does scale change delivery?…
DetailsScale and Democracy: the Rule of 100
The rule of 100: Scale and Democracy The school I went to was not democratic. It never could have been. It was too big. In this post I want to talk about the effect of scale on democracy. I want to talk about why this is important and what consequences it might have for your…
Details