Catherine Burke is Reader in History of Education and Childhood at the University of Cambridge.

Ian Grosvenor is Professor of Urban Educational History at the University of Birmingham.

In 2001, The Guardian launched a ground-breaking competition called The School I'd Like, in which young people were asked to imagine their ideal school. This vibrant, ground-breaking book presents material drawn from that competition, offering a unique snapshot of perceptions of today's schools by those who matter most - the pupils. In 2011, The Guardian re-launched the competition and this fully revised new edition reflects upon the next generation of entries and summarises, through the children's insightful commentary, what has changed over the intervening decade.

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction: neglected voices

PART 1: Forgotten spaces

1. School buildings: 'A safe haven, not a prison'
2. Canteens and lunchrooms: The edible landscape of school
3. School yards and playgrounds: 'It's very big but there's nothing in it . . .'

PART 2: Learning and knowing

4. Knowledge and the curriculum: 'The notion of writing prize-winning essays on tropical rainforests without taking some action would be seen as strange'
5. Learning: 'Let us out . . . !'
6. Teachers and special people: 'Nobody forgets a good teacher . . .'

PART 3: Staying power

7. Identities and equalities: 'I resented being told what to wear, what to think, what to believe, what to say and when to say it'
8. Survival: 'Schools may be getting good academic results but they are not helping the pupils as individuals'