In writing a book about social justice and education I have chosen to focus on the importance of knowledge in the curriculum. And I am aware that sometimes people talk about knowledge and education as somehow being in opposition to play, happiness and freedom. Even as I write this preface the incoming chair of the association that represents the elite private schools in the UK has criticised the government for developing a curriculum that neglects the wider needs of education, arguing that children's happiness is being sacrificed by the focus on examination results within the state sector. The Chief Inspector of Schools in England immediately attacked this speech, saying “Heads in inner-city London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds haven't got the time to worry whether their children are climbing trees proficiently. These heads know that gaining academic qualifications is the one route out of poverty and disadvantage.” I can understand both of these perspectives. Of course, play and happiness are important, and I love to sit alongside my grandchildren as they play on the beach, climb trees and build imaginary worlds with whatever is at hand. But I agree with Sen when he says that ‘aside from the recognition that happiness is valuable in itself, we must take note of the fact that the achievement of other things that we do value (and have reason to value) very often influences our sense of happiness – generated by that fulfillment’. In other words, we cannot separate happiness from achievements and opportunities to achieve in life.

This book challenges the divide between the private and the state educational systems in the UK. Having attended a direct-grant school in the 1960s I came face-to-face with students who did not pay fees (because they had passed the 11+ examination) and those who did pay fees. My husband, Ian, was plucked from his working-class home in Hertfordshire when he won a scholarship to Rugby School in the 1950s. I have witnessed the privilege that this has given him. The direct-grant system that I experienced and the scholarship system that enabled my husband to attend an elite private school were only available for a select few. I argue in this book that such selective systems are no longer an option. I welcome recent discussions about the need for private and state school heads to join forces in order to build a fairer society.