Introduction
The policy context: educational standards and human capital
Conceptualising high achievement: theoretical perspectives on social identity and achievement
Enabling high achievement: the shared practices of high achieving pupils
Boffins and geeks: the social consequences for young people constructed as too hardworking
The challenge of balance: anxieties concerning the tension between high achievement and popularity
High achieving and popular: the ideal neoliberal subject?
The classroom practices adopted by pupils accomplishing popularity and high achievement
Implications for schools.