Having a good teacher and preventing bullying are children’s top priorities, new research suggests.

Youngsters are also concerned about getting into a good secondary school and schools helping pupils to do well in exams, according to a study conducted for the Children’s Commissioner for England.

It found that half of youngsters (49 per cent) rate having a good teacher as their main issue of concern, while 46 per cent said one of their top priorities is stopping bullying.

The poll questioned more than 2,000 children for their views on education.

The findings show that 45 per cent cite schools helping pupils to do well in exams as a main priority, with 41 per cent concerned about gaining a place at a good secondary school.

But few youngsters were concerned about schools asking and listening to what they think, cited by just 16 per cent, while 14 per cent cared about having a school uniform they like and eight per cent were concerned about a good choice of school dinners.

The poll reveals a difference in priorities between primary and secondary schoolchildren.

Some 60 per cent of primary-age children said a top priority was getting into a good secondary, compared to 33 per cent of secondary schoolchildren, and 57 per cent viewed preventing bullying as a priority, compared to 41 per cent of secondary-age pupils.

Among secondary-age pupils, their school helping them to do well in exams was a main concern (chosen by 52 per cent), along with having a good choice of subjects (23 per cent).

The study also found that most of England’s schoolchildren would like a say in recruiting teachers.

While 18 per cent said they had already been involved in hiring teachers, 65 per cent said they would like to do so in the future.

The vast majority (87 per cent) of those questioned said they felt they knew what made a good teacher.