A.S. Neill's book Summerhill - A Radical Approach to Childrearing, hugely influential in the 1960s and 1970s, has been studied by many students of education in the UK and beyond.
Hundreds of schools have been set up globally on similar lines, meeting annually for the International Democratic Education Conference.
He also influenced many in mainstream schools. David James, principal of the English Schools Foundation's Island School and a charismatic history teacher, is among them. 'It had a considerable affect on me, this liberal tradition in English education,' he said.
'Trusting young people and their judgment is something we can all learn from Summerhill.' This contrasted radically to the 'make them, shape them, bend them as you want them' that characterised much of education, he said.
'We need to escape the pressured examination driven experience which is the lot of many young people these days. They need to pursue their own interests to become complete adults, not simply conform to the values of the adult world. Some of Island School's best and richest offerings come in extra-curricular activities when students do their own thing.'
But he does not advocate optional lessons for the mainstream curriculum, which he said could rob children of opportunities. 'Educators design a curriculum which is meant to be meaningful and to give young, growing people the best possible opportunity to experience the best aspects of the adult world,' he said.
