The original purpose of this thesis is to explore the possibility of setting up a school
in Aotearoa (New Zealand) that operates according to the principles and
philosophies of Summerhill School in Suffolk, England. An examination of
Summerhill School is therefore the purpose of this study, particularly because of its
commitment to self-regulation and direct democracy for children. My argument
within this study is that Summerhill presents precisely the type of model Māori as
Tangata Whenua (Indigenous people of Aotearoa) need in our design of an
alternative schooling programme, given that self-regulation and direct democracy
are traits conducive to achieving Tino Rangitiratanga (Self-government, autonomy
and control). In claiming this however, not only would Tangata Whenua benefit
from this model of schooling; indeed it has the potential to serve the purpose of all
people regardless of age race or gender. At present, no school in Aotearoa has
replicated Summerhill's principles and philosophies in their entirety.
Given the constraints of a Master's thesis, this piece of work is therefore only
intended as a theoretical background study for a much larger kaupapa (purpose). It
is my intention to produce a further and more comprehensive study in the future
using Summerhill as a vehicle to initiate a model school in Aotearoa that is
completely antithetical to the dominant neo-liberal philosophy of our age. To this
end, my study intends to demonstrate how neo-liberal schooling is universally
dictated by global money market trends, and how it is an ideology fueled by the
indifferent acceptance of the general population. In other words, neo-liberal theory
is a theory of capitalist colonisation.
In order to address the long term vision, this project will be comprised of two major
components. The first will be a study of the principal philosophies that govern
Summerhill School. As I will argue, Summerhill creates an environment that is
uniquely successful and fulfilling for the children who attend. At the same time, it
will also be shown how it is a philosophy that is entirely contrary to a neo-liberal
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mindset; an antidote, to a certain extent, to the ills of contemporary schooling. The
second component will address the historical movement of schooling in Aotearoa
since the Labour Party's landslide victory in 1984, and how the New Zealand
Curriculum has been affected by these changes. I intend to trace the importation of
neo-liberal methodologies into Aotearoa such as the 'Picot Taskforce,'
'Tomorrows Schools' and 'Bulk Funding,' to name but a few. The neo-liberal
ideologies that have swept through this country in the last two decades have
relentlessly metamorphosised departments into businesses and forced ministries
into the marketplace, hence causing the 'ideological reduction of education' and
confining it to the parameters of schooling.
The purpose of this research project is to act as a catalyst for the ultimate
materialization of an original vision; the implementation of a school like
Summerhill in Aotearoa. A study of the neo-liberal ideologies that currently
dominate this country is imperative in order to understand the current schooling
situation in Aotearoa and create an informed comparison between the 'learning for
freedom' style of Summerhill and the 'learning to earn' style of our status quo
schools. It is my hope to strengthen the argument in favour of Summerhill
philosophy by offering an understanding of the difference between the two
completely opposing methods of learning.
