This paper draws upon data extracted from ongoing research on the experiences of secondary school students. Data were collected through written accounts and interviews in an urban secondary school in Northern Portugal. The article discusses two main themes: views on the school and episodes influencing schooling trajectories. Data suggest that most students see their school as a place of discovery and (intellectual and personal) growth, as a socialization agent, and as a "lever" for their future. The influence of significant others in the choice of courses, factors associated with external pressures and professional prospects, negative and positive experiences (mainly related to teachers), promotion from one grade to another, changing schools and the resulting need to (re)adjust to different contexts, are examples of situations that were of key importance to the participants in this study.
Pupils voice; School; Secondary education; Teachers; Curriculum