ABSTRACT
In these final chapters, I examine two prominent features of pupils’ school life — work and laughter-in a little more depth. These two activities take up a large proportion of the pupil’s day, sometimes in conjunction with each other, sometimes in opposition. Many would claim, for example, that pupils go to school to work. As noted in chapter 1, it is high on pupils’ own list of priorities. There might be gaps in the system, but the central official activity is without doubt ‘work’, for all concerned. School rituals, pedagogical orientations, examinations and careers are all geared to its production. Most pupils recognize that they go to school to ‘work’, and dislike situations not conducive to its production.
