Both my parents were teachers at Summerhill before the war. My father was A.S.Neill’s secretary for while (which involved playing golf). I went there at the age of four and a half but this was too young and I only stayed for a short while before going to the local primary school where all my friends had gone. In my brief time at Summerhill I learnt that I could climb trees higher than the older boys who tried to pinch my packed lunch. I also learnt that I could choose to be magnanimous and hand down to them a corner of my mum’s cheese and marmite sandwiches if I felt like it. I enjoyed the local primary school and then the local grammar school. But I often wondered about Summerhill and when I mentioned it and said pupils don’t have to go to lessons and can wear what they want etc everybody always said “How does that work?!!!?” and I couldn’t really tell them. So having the opportunity to return to Summerhill after all this time and spend nearly two years on and off filming was very intriguing for me - with the opportunity to learn, see and film how Summerhill works using the people involved to tell the story. The kids began to treat me and my big camera as part of the furniture. I really enjoyed being there with them and the youngest would say what they wanted me to film them doing next! I finished filming just before the pandemic and was also lucky enough to be able to attend and film the Summerhill Experience Conference where 200 people came from all over the world to learn about Summerhill. I went to the school with an open mind and must say I was really impressed. I think that these days Summerhill has really good facilities and more really talented teaching staff - probably much better than when I briefly went there. The film I have made - ‘How Summerhill Works’ - aims to answer the question I always got when I tried to tell people about Summerhill.

I hope you enjoy the film Best wishes, Peter