Is Sands like Summerhill?
Lots of parents ask this question, probably because Summerhill is the most well-known or infamous of the progressive schools still in existence in this country. Having heard rumours of its reputation as an overly liberal school new parents want to know if Sands is run in the same way. Summerhill’s philosophy is based on those of A.S. Neil whereas Sands grew out of the philosophies of Tagore and Dartington Hall School and therefore, while we share some similarities with Summerhill, Sands school is very different. Both value the quality of relationships between adults and children and believe that education is much more than preparation for exams and both schools have received very good Ofsted reports (Sands in 2008) with inspectors praising both for the maturity and attitude to learn of its respective pupils. Summerhill is a boarding school and takes children from both primary and secondary ages, and as a result, their social world, how to live together, their rules and punishments have
Lots of parents ask this question, probably because Summerhill is the most well-known or infamous of the progressive schools still in existence in this country. Having heard rumours of its reputation as an overly liberal school, new parents want to know if Sands is run in the same way. Summerhill’s philosophy is based on those of A.S. Neil whereas Sands grew out of the philosophies of Tagore and Dartington Hall School and therefore, while we share some similarities with Summerhill, Sands school is very different. Both value the quality of relationships between adults and children and believe that education is much more than preparation for exams and both schools have received very good Ofsted reports, with inspectors praising both for the maturity and attitude to learning of its respective pupils. Summerhill is a boarding school and takes children from both primary and secondary ages, and as a result, their social world, how to live together, their rules and punishments have a more dom
