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John Aitkenhead was a Conscientious Objector. In the Second World War he and his wife Moira were allowed to start up and run his own boarding school at Kilquhanity House near Douglas Kirkcudbrightshire in Scotland. I do not know the details of how this came about or whether other Scottish Conscientious Objectors were treated with the same humanity and common sense.

The school was run on Progressive lines following the principles of A.S. Neill at Summerhill. When I went to Kilquanity as a student teacher for one term in 1961 it was a very different school to any other I had known. It was set in the beautiful Urr Valley in a house once lived in by the author Gavin Maxwell with its own park like garden and small farm. The farm was run for the benefit of the school and the children.

Other long term staff were Bill MacKinnon who was keen on drama and his wife Kate who had arrived as a refugee from Germany before the war.

Apart from learning the three Rs, children had a lot of choice as to their other learning and activities. Helping on the farm was one of these choices. Members of staff were encouraged to involve children in all sorts of activities and interests.
Once a week we had a meeting. All children and staff attended. The Chair was taken by a child. Anyone could bring up any matter that concerned them and minutes were taken. If anyone did not agree with what had been said they could put up their hand and say 鈥淚 object鈥� and their side of the matter would be heard. A weekly paper known as the Kilquhanity Broadsheet was produced.

There was a very happy and loving and vigorous atmosphere about the school. It suited many children, some of whom would have found ordinary schools difficult and others whose parents wanted for them a freedom to learn and to progress at their own pace and to have more choice in their own learning.

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