Children's happiness drops when they move from primary to secondary school, damaging their curiosity about life, a study suggests.
Some 65% of primary pupils thought school was a "positive" experience, compared with 27% in secondary schools, the New Economics Foundation (NEF) think tank found.
Meanwhile, the proportions who "strongly" felt they learned "a lot" in class were 71% and 12% respectively.
The NEF interviewed 1,000 children aged seven to 19 in Nottingham for its pilot study.
It stressed the connection between wellbeing and "curiosity" about life.
Interest
This quality – defined as a need to strive for more and learn more – was as important to happiness as feeling "satisfied" with academic results.
Researchers noted a marked drop in stimulation when pupils moved schools.
Of those in primaries, 65% strongly agreed that school was interesting, but just 12% in secondaries.
When it came to enjoyment of school activities, the figures were 65% and 18%.
'Run like factories'
Hetan Shah, NEF's programme director for wellbeing studies, said: "At primary school, there appears to be a good balance, looking at the needs of the whole person.
"But secondary school teachers I've spoken to say they are run more like factories.
"The high demands of league tables and targets must have some effect."
The study suggests there are "trade-offs" even in the top-performing primary schools between "academic success and promoting curiosity".
Previous research has shown that engaging in challenging and absorbing activities is important to people's ability to cope with life.
This, it is argued, has a knock-on effect on long-term health.
'Broader thinking'
The NEF is calling on the government to run a wider study looking at the transition from primary to secondary school.
Mr Shah said: "We are asking for broader thinking about what is taught in schools.
"We need to look not at just vocational teaching, in terms of achieving an end like employment or exam success. We have to ask what is school actually preparing people for."
The NEF study was carried out with Nottingham City Council.
The Local Government Act 2000 gave local authorities the power to "promote and improve well-being, either environmental, social or economic", within their area.
Davy Jones of the Audit Commission, which monitors public spending, said: "It [the study] will provide a valuable insight into life in the area, and be a strong basis for improving [the council's] work for the children and young people of Nottingham."
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