England profile - Overview 13 December 2012Last updated at 11:48 ET England is the largest constituent part of the United Kingdom, and accounts for 83 per cent of its population and most of its economic activity. Issues affecting the United Kingdom as a whole therefore also apply to England in particular, especially in the case of identity politics. The various kingdoms set up by Germanic settlers in the 5th-6th centuries were finally united into the Kingdom of England between 927 and 954. Oxford University is England's oldest university Continue reading the main story Politics: England has no governmental institutions separate from those of the UK. Country profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring England gradually annexed Wales and established hegemony over Ireland and Scotland. The establishment of devolved parliaments in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales after 1997 gave those constituent parts of the United Kingdom their own political identity, leaving England the only part directly run by the British government.
Listening: A Tour of London Tower Bridge, London (Copyright: Getty) When you visit a city for the first time, a good way to explore it is to go on an organised sightseeing tour. The tour will give you an overview of what there is to see and also provide you with some historical background. This tour will take you around London by bus. Activity Check how well you know London. a Madame Tussaud’s is a famous wax museum. b Bond Street is where the detective, Sherlock Holmes, once lived. c Marble Arch is a gate which was built in 1827. d Hyde Park used to be the royal hunting grounds. e Buckingham Palace is the London home of the Queen. f Piccadilly Circus is the largest circus in the world. g Fleet Street once housed the national newspapers. h St Paul’s Cathedral is a small but beautiful church. i The Tower of London is more than 900 years old. j The Globe is the world’s oldest restaurant.
EDUCATION in ENGLAND British children are required by law to have an education until they are 16 years old. Education is compulsory, but school is not,children are not required to attend school. They could be educated at home. Full-time education is compulsory for all children aged between 5 and 16 (inclusive) across England. About 94 per cent of pupils in England, and the rest of the UK, receive free education from public funds, while 6 per cent attend independent fee paying schools or homeschooling. (Homeschooling numbers uncertain - BBC report) All government-run schools, state schools, follow the same National Curriculum. The school year runs from September to July and is 39 weeks long. For many areas the year is divided into six terms: September to October October to December January to February February to March April to May June to July (Some counties in England still follow the traditional three terms a year.) The main school holidays are: Christmas- 2 weeks Spring - 2 weeks Summer - 6 weeks
Fly Through 17th Century London M@ Fly Through 17th Century London A group of students at De Montfort University created this fly-through of 17th century London (skip to 0:50 in the video to get to the juicy stuff). The model focuses on the area around Pudding Lane and the bakery of Thomas Farriner, where the Great Fire of 1666 started. Although most of the buildings are conjectural, the students used a realistic street pattern and even included the hanging signs of genuine inns and businesses mentioned in Samuel Pepys' diary. The project is an entry in the Off The Map competition, in which students were invited to build 3-D digital models based on maps at the British Library, and using software by Crytek.
Webbresurs från vårt grannland - London Walk Finska Utbildningsstyrelsen är en myndighet som ungefär motsvarar Skolverket (även om jag inte ska svära på de exakta detaljerna rent politiskt). De har också en hel del lärresurser på sin hemsida, och där har jag hittat en guldklimp, via ett tips på Facebook. Mina 9or ska i engelskan arbeta med olika ämnesområden kopplade till Great Britain och vi inleder med att fokusera på London. För att få en bild av sammanhanget tittade vi först på en film från SLI.se med den självförklarande titeln GREAT BRITAIN, artikel V4258. Under tiden som vi tittade fick eleverna svara på frågor om filmens innehåll genom webbtjänsten Socrative. Eleverna går in på sidan, skriver in klassrumskoden som jag ger dem, kopplat till mitt konto, och jag startar quizet. Efter introduktionen fick eleverna ge sig ut för att själva upptäcka London. Bild: skärmdump från
London Top 10 Sights - Explore the Highlights Explore the Top 10 Sights London belongs to the most popular destinations for city trips. Among the long list of reasons for that you will find at the top the long history, unique antique and modern artworks, the international reputation and of course the wealth of tourist attractions. As a result you will find very often long queue lines in front of the highlights. The information provided by city-walks will help to avoid waiting times and to create a sightseeing tour with your favorites. London Tourist Map for Sightseeing With the interactive map of city-walks you will see the locations of the top 10 highlights of London at a glance.