HISTORY

The city of London was founded by the Romans and their rule extended from 43 AD to the
fifth century AD, when the Empire fell. During the third century, Londinium, the name given
to the town by the Romans, had a population of 50,000, mainly due to the influence of
its major port.

As a consequence of repeated Anglo-Saxon invasions during the fifth century, Londinium

declined and during the eighth century it became the capital of the Kingdom of Essex.

During the ninth century, the town suffered numerous Viking attacks. As a consequence,
Danish settlers established themselves in the area, encouraging trade and opening
businesses in the town, transforming it into the first urban centre of England. The town’s
wealth and power attracted the Danish Great Heathen Army, which besieged the city until
it was captured by King Alfred the Great in 886. 

In 1067, following the Norman invasion and conquering of England, the city's existing
rights, laws and privileges were established by the newly crowned King of England,
William Duke of Normandy. The Tower of London was built during William's reign.

In 1199, King John reinforced the city's self-government, and in 1215 the city could elect a
different mayor every year.

For many years, England had no capital city. However, the institutions of central
government were moved to Westminster, close to London. This and the rise of trade in the
area were two decisive factors in London's emergence as the capital of England. 

1. HAVING A SUNDAY ROAST DINNER

One of the most iconic things about Britain is a Sunday roast dinner.  Sunday is not a proper Sunday
unless we have a roast dinner.  And it’s the favourite meal of the week. Roast Chicken, Beef, Pork,
Gamon or Lamb, it  doesn’t matter what meat, us Brits love a Sunday Roast.  In fact we also like to mix
it up a bit and have a couple of different types of meat, especially when we go out for a carvery.  Roast
potatoes and Yorkshire puddings are a must.

2. PUTTING THE KETTLE ON

We don’t need an excuse to put the kettle on.  If there is a crisis, or we are celebrating, or someone
comes to visit the first thing we do is put the kettle on.  There are some Brits are very particular in how
tea should be made.  I for one have to add the milk last.  A tea bag needs to stew in boiling water to get
the full flavour, once it’s as dark in colour,  only then the milk should be added. Some people get angry
if tea is not made correctly.  This I totally understand.  This rap by stand up comedian Doc Brown
explains it perfectly “My Proper Tea”. (please note if cursing offends you, this rap is not for you)

3. BISCUIT DUNKING
Dunking biscuits in tea is serious business in Britain.   There is even a website dedicated to the
practice!  According to those that have taken the tea dunking survey the plain digestive is our favourite
biscuit to dunk. I myself prefer the custard cream. Dunking biscuits is fine when it comes to digestives,
bourbons, custard creams or the hobnob.  However it’s quite a different story if you have bought lesser
known biscuits and tried the dunk.  There is nothing worse than losing your biscuit in a fresh cup of tea. 
Many people try to grab it quick and if they are lucky will be successful,  but I tend to let it sink.  The
only trouble with the sinking strategy is remembering it’s there. There is nothing worse than getting a
mouthful of soggy biscuit from your last slurp of tea.  Many people will refuse to drink the tea and make
a fresh cup if they accidently dropped the biscuit.

4. WEARING SUMMER CLOTHES THE MINUTE

THE SUN COMES OUT
Stripping off at the first sign on sunshine is a very British thing to do.  It doesn’t matter what time of year
it is, if the suns out and it feels warm, we will strip for the occasion. If the sun is shining in winter, you
can be sure to find some brave chap wandering the streets in a pair of shorts.

5. SAYING SORRY
Us Brits pride ourselves on being polite and using manners.  However we do go overboard and
apologise for everything.  Even when we’ve done nothing wrong we still say sorry!  Why do we do this? 
I am not sure, but I think a lot of the time when we use the word sorry we actually mean ‘excuse me’.

6. CHEERING ON THE UNDERDOG

We always love to see the underdog come out on tome.  One prime example is how we all got behind
Susan Boyle back in 2009.  When she said she wished to be as successful as Elaine Page the judges
and crowd collectively rolled their eyes and sneered.  But the moment she began to sing, the crowd and
the nation were behind her.  It’s similar to how we all loved the first Rocky film, an average kid goes the
distance with world heavyweight champion.

7. EATING A FULL ENGLISH BREAKFAST

We all love a good full fryup. From my experience, having travelled quite a bit, the best place to get a
full English breakfast is England.  Countries abroad try their best to accommodate us, but they never
get it right.  You need quality sausages, proper bacon, couple of eggs, fried or scrambled, tomatoes,
beans, mushrooms and a fried slice of toast.  We all have our preferences but the main stay is quality
sausages and bacon.

8. NEVER JUMPING THE QUEUE

It’s rare you will see a British person jumping the queue. Us Brits have the ability to queue nicely and
wait our turn even if there are no barriers, signs or security enforcing us to do so.  Our amazing queue
etiquette was on display in May this year when hundreds of Ed Sheeran fans queued to enter the 02. 
There were no barriers in place but the fans formed a perfect ‘S’ queue and waited their turn to enter.
9. TALKING ABOUT THE WEATHER
We talk about the weather as often as we say sorry. We are obsessed with talking about it. We are a
small island and our weather is very unpredictable.  It is all down to our location in the world.  There is a
lot of moisture in the air and water in the atmosphere makes the weather unpredictable.   One day it
can be warm enough for summer clothes, but the next cold enough for overcoats and central heating. 
We have had hot weather in November and cold weather in August.  Luckily we are prepared to an
extent, we all know all about layering clothing in this country.     What we as a country are never
prepared for is weeks and weeks of the same weather, be it a heat wave or snow.

10. EATING TURKEY ON CHRISTMAS DAY

The majority of families in the UK will eat turkey on Christmas Day. As a country we get through on
average over 10 million turkeys at Christmas time.  Often families do like to have other meats, but
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without Turkey.

Over the past decade, the food and restaurant industries not just in London but
also in the country as a whole have matured exponentially. But even as skeptics
are at last convinced that it’s possible to eat well in Britain, some will argue that
its cuisine is defined by things borrowed or imported. While it’s undoubtedly true
that the tremendously diverse offerings in London make it a great place to eat,
there's another story: of familiar foods which, if they’re prepared well by a good
chef, can be a revelation. Britain is home to some of the world’s best beef, the
finest game, world-class sea salt (!), and an untold bounty from its seas. Luckily,
a new generation of growers — and chefs — are catching up.

Here’s a list of classics — some known, some lesser known — and where to find
them. It is official, and who knew it:

British cuisine is a thing

 NOT ORIGINAL
 NOT HEALTHY
 BIG PORTIONS
People in Britain, however, eat a wide variety of foods based on the cuisines of Europe, India, and other
parts of the world. British cuisine has many regional varieties within the broader categories
of English, Scottish and Welsh cuisine and Northern Irish cuisine. Each has developed its own regional
or local dishes, many of which are geographically indicated foods such as Cornish pasties,
the Yorkshire pudding, Cumberland Sausage, Arbroath Smokie, and Welsh cakes.

Fish and Chips

Ask someone to name a typical British food and even a Londoner will likely
suggest fish and chips: battered cod and chunky chips (fries to American
readers), traditionally served swaddled in newspaper..
Welsh Rarebit

A British — not Welsh — classic. A kind of cheese on toast, made by combining

cheddar, beer (often Guinness), mustard powder, and spices into a flour-
thickened paste, which is slathered onto bread and grilled to a blister

Bacon Sandwich

A bacon sandwich, which is sometimes called a “bacon butty," is best with a

buttered white bread roll and either tomato ketchup or brown sauce (a spiced,
vinegary condiment most famously produced by HP). 

Full English Breakfast

Also known as the "full English" or "fry-up," this breakfast spread is on par with
fish and chips as perhaps the most famous British food custom. The full English
is an audacious and calorie-loaded composition: eggs, bacon, sausage, black
pudding (blood sausage), baked beans, mushrooms, grilled tomato, and fried
bread or toast. For breakfast! (Londoners love breakfast.) One thing’s for sure: It
keeps hunger locked up till lunch.
The Sunday Roast

The Sunday roast, or "Sunday lunch," is Britain’s most celebrated food tradition;
when it’s right, it can compete with the world’s most-loved national dishes. The
centerpiece is roasted meat: beef (with Yorkshire pudding and horseradish),
lamb (and mint sauce), chicken (with redcurrant jelly or bread sauce), and pork
(with applesauce and crackling) are the most famous. It's served with roasted
potatoes, an assortment of roasted or blanched vegetables, and gravy made
from the roasting juices.

Pork Pies and Sausage Rolls

These two great British foods share an entry for no other reason than that they
are both seasoned pork encased in pastry. The pork pie is a mix of coarsely
chopped pork meat and cubes of fat, bound by a rich meat jelly and a crown-
shaped shortcrust pastry casing. A sausage roll is usually a more finely ground
pork meat, seasoned with herbs, and wrapped — ends open — with puff pastry

Shepherd’s Pie/Cottage Pie

These are two dishes are very similar; the only difference is the choice of meat
used in the dish; in shepherd’s pie you use lamb whilst in cottage pie you use
beef. And to confuse you even more, neither of these dishes are pies in the
usual sense with pastry. Shepherd’s pie and cottage pie consists of: mince
(lamb or beef), vegetables (such as; carrots, tomatoes, and onions), and
potatoes which are on top of the meaty pie like filling.

 Steak and Kidney Pie

This much loved British pie is definitely a dish you must try whilst you are in the
UK. The ingredients include: beef, kidney, fried onion and gravy all wrapped up
in pastry, so what’s not to love?

Chicken tikka masala

Chicken tikka masala is now a true British national dish, not only because it is the most
popular, but because it is a perfect illustration of the way Britain absorbs and adapts
external influences.
Chicken tikka masala is a dish of chunks of roasted marinated chicken (chicken tikka) in a
spiced curry sauce. The sauce is usually creamy and orange-coloured. There are multiple claims to its
place of origin such as the Indian subcontinent[1] and the United Kingdom. It is among the United
Kingdom's most popular dishes.

The economy of the United Kingdom is highly developed and market-orientated.[35][36] It is the sixth-

largest national economy in the world measured by nominal gross domestic product (GDP), ninth-
largest by purchasing power parity (PPP), and twenty second-largest by GDP per capita, comprising
3.3% of world GDP.[37]

The United Kingdom has a fiercely independent, developed, and

international trading economy that was at the forefront of the 19th-
century Industrial Revolution. The country emerged from World War
II as a military victor but with a debilitated manufacturing sector.
Postwar recovery was relatively slow, and it took nearly 40 years, with
additional stimulation after 1973 from membership in the European
Economic Community (ultimately succeeded by the European
Union [EU]), for the British economy to improve its competitiveness
significantly. 
American and Japanese companies have often chosen the United
Kingdom as their European base. In addition, other fast-developing East
Asian countries with export-oriented economies included the United
Kingdom’s open market among their important outlets.
GROWING
The population of the UK is projected to increase by three million over the next ten years, as
experts warn a major acceleration in house building is required.  

In central London, population growth has risen by 44 per cent over the past five years and
in Tower Hamlets, east London, by 16 per cent. 

Population growth is slowing across most of Europe – people are having fewer children and, it
could be argued, steps are being taken to try to reduce social inequalities. But London is
unusual. London continues growing, and London is becoming more youthful. The middle aged
and those who are poor, but not desperately poor, are being squeezed out. Graduates from
the rest of Britain and the rest of the world flow in ever greater numbers and require ever
higher degrees of optimism. Many fail to achieve their aspirations. Above them a few are
becoming ever richer. Below them, as private rents and social housing becomes too expensive
for huge numbers of lowly paid families and many leave, a new poor may be growing, less well
documented, less well protected, with even less to lose.
With a population of currently 8.2 million (according to the 2011 Census), London is not only
unique for one of the old world’s megacities by being projected to continue rising significantly
in population size over the forthcoming decades, but also by its specific demographic
structure. Like many large cities, London has a large share of people in the younger age
groups – over 20% in the cohorts from 25-34 – but also a significant share of the youngest with
around 7% of its population being 0 to 4 years old. 
PEOPLE

One of the most common stereotypes of British people is that they are unfriendly
and unwelcoming to foreigners. In reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Britain is a multicultural society and British people are welcoming of every
culture and creed.
The idea that British people are unfriendly comes from our reserved manner.
Unlike some European countries, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll find British people
kissing and hugging each other in public – even married couples are cautious of
making public displays of affection! Similarly, it’s unlikely that two strangers will
talk to each other as they pass each other on the street, especially in a big city
such as Manchester.
Brits are renowned for having a ‘different’ sense of humour but really, our sense
of humour shares a lot of characteristics with other cultures. We love slapstick
comedy and traditional jokes as much as anyone!
However, British people tend to find humour in dark or bad situations. Sarcasm
is common, as is the occasional joke at someone else’s expense – it’s important
not to take these jokes to heart as they are only meant in jest. British people
have also been known to enjoy ‘close to the knuckle’ humour that could be
interpreted as very offensive elsewhere in the world.
How are British people when it comes to greetings and speech? – you must
know that even the rudest of British people have some semblance of manners;
from a young age, British people are taught the importance of saying please,
thank you and sorry. As a result, manners are extremely important to British
people and failing to observe them is seen as incredibly rude.
EDUCATION
Education in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter with each of the countries of the United
Kingdom having separate systems under separate governments: the UK Government is responsible
for England; whilst the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland
Executive are responsible for Scotland,[5] Wales[6] and Northern Ireland, respectively.

The education system in the UK is divided into four main parts, primary education,

secondary education, further education and higher education. Children in the UK have to legally
attend primary and secondary education which runs from about 5 years old until the student is 16
years old.

Introduction to School Life

 

Education is an important part of British life. There are hundreds of

schools, colleges and universities, including some of the most
famous in the world.

Education is free and compulsory for all children between the ages
of 5 - 16. Some children are educated at home rather than in
school.

Children's education in England is normally divided into two

separate stages. They begin with primary education at the age of
five and this usually lasts until they are eleven. Then they move to
secondary school, there they stay until they reach sixteen,
seventeen or eighteen years of age.
Find out what year (grade) you would be in England.
 Teachers in primary schools ( 4 - 11 year olds) are always
addressed by their surname by parents and pupils alike, always Mr,
Mrs or Miss Smith.…. In secondary schools (11 - 16 years),
teachers are usually addressed as Miss or Sir.

Most school in England require children to wear a school

uniform.

The uniform

Boys
Long grey or black trousers (shorts may be worn in the
Summer)
White Shirt
School tie (optional in most primary schools)
Jumper or sweater with the school logo on. The colour
is the choice of the schools.
Black shoes

Girls
As above.
Girls may wear skirts
During the summer term girls often wear summer
school dresses.

On what days do your children attend school?

The children attend school from

Monday to Friday, from 08:55 - 15:15.
EVENT ENGLAND SCOTLAND
School Year Begins Approx 4 September Approx 20 August
Sept Weekend - Fri & Mon of 3rd wk in Sept
October 5 days (Wk 3 or 4) 5 days (Wk 2 or 3)
Christmas 2 weeks 2 weeks
February 5 days 1 day
Easter 2 weeks 2 weeks
May day 1 day 1 day
May (end of) 5 days -
 School Year Ends 3rd week in July Last week in June

The Start
School begins at 8:55 am. The duty teacher blows a whistle and the children
line up in their class groups. They wait quietly for the teacher to send them
to their classrooms.

 Courses in Great Britain are shorter than in some other countries. A Bachelor’s degree might be
completed within 3 years and Master’s degree within one year. That may save your time and money
spent on some essay writing services like Academic-Writing.Org. 🙂
 British students can work for twenty hours per week during their study and full-time during their
vacations.
 International student has a lot of opportunities and benefits that make their life in UK simple and
affordable. They get discounts on stationery, books, entertainment, and travel.
 The National Health Service offers free subsidized healthcare to international students that stay
in the UK for more than six months.
 Postgraduate students, as well as undergraduate ones, can participate in a number of
scholarships that are available for everyone.
 Every student is free to choose from four countries: England, Wales, Scotland or Northern
Ireland. All of them are culturally and geographically diverse.
In fact, education in Britain is not only the highest level of teaching and learning. It is fascinating and
fun.