High Level

The United Kingdom

UK Economy

Next is a range of economic data for the UK.
What are the most important sectors for the economy?
How does this compare with your own country?


At first economists were positive about the economy in 2017.
What were the reasons for this optimism?
Opinion changed in early 2018.
What was the main drag on the economy?

UK economy in 2018: steady growth tempered by Brexit politics
Will the Bank of England Interest rate go up or down?
What would be the reason and what would be the effect?
Find out in the next article!
One of the biggest problems of the UK economy is the low productivity.
How is the government trying to fix this? Find out here...
The problem of low productivity is addressed in the next pane. Do the recommendations to improve productivity agree with the last pane?
Now it is time to watch some YouTube videos concerning the economy in the UK.

UK legal system

The British legal system is different from the rest of the world in 6 main ways. TClick on the link to find out how it differs.
How does this system compare with that in your country? Are there pros and cons?
Discuss this with the class.
How are laws made? Where do they apply?
What are the two main types of law? Find out here ->
Why is 'UK' law so complicated?
How did this arise?
Why does Scotland have its own legal system?
See here ->
There are similarities and differences between the US and the UK legal systems.
Which one would you prefer and why?
See the next pane ->
If you would like to make a detailed comparison of different legal systems the next pane is for you ->
Next up a clip revealing the views of 4 high powered arbitors.

They are the UK's most powerful arbiters of justice and now, for the first time, four of the Justices of the Supreme Court talk frankly and openly about the nature of justice and how they make their decisions. The film offers a revealing glimpse of the human characters behind the judgments and explores why the Supreme Court and its members are fundamental to our democracy.

UK Education system

The next link gives a quick overview of the different stages in the UK education system. You should compare this with the structure in your own country and think about the similarities and differences. Share your thoughts with the class.
Once again the situation is complicated by having differences in the countries making up the UK. Are there different regions in your own country? Do they have different systems? How does the UK compare?
They have foundation schools, free schools, faith schools and public schools. Lots of choice but lots of confusion. Can you make any sense of it all?!
We also have independent schools! How do these differ from the other ones?
Next up is a YouTube video on the UK system for non-UK students.  What do you think about studying in the UK?
YouTube videos about the British education system.

UK History


Britain has been shaped by turmoil between its nations, and tension between state and church. But centuries of conflict would forge the power at the heart of the largest empire the world has ever seen.
The next article is from the Encyclopedia Britannica, which gives a detailed account of the country (countries known as: The United Kingdom, Britain, Great Britain, U.K., United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Up to 1707 there was no UK. It was then that kingdoms of England and Scotland joined to form a united kingdom called Great Britain.The Act of Union of 1800 added the Kingdom of Ireland to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Unfortunately the story does not end there!
The next article is about the history of the UK from 1905 to 1951. It is interactive and has quizzes. Please look through and then see how you do on the Quiz at the end.

Brexit

Britain is at a crossroads. No study of the history of the UK would be complete without looking at Brexit and its consequences.
At the time of preparing these materials, the BBC produced a document 'All you need to know about Brexit'. Have a look at the next pane to find out all about it. Can you make a list of pros and cons from the point of view of a British national?
The Guardian newspaper is very much against Britain laving the EU and has been campaigning for a new referendum. You can see the Guardian's point of view in the next pane. It should be different form the BBC, which has to remain neutral according to its charter.
Next up, a mini-documentary on Brexit

UK Environment

The information in the next article is a little out of date having been published in 2015. Can you summarise the 5 most important points from this article?
There are several environmental challenges facing the UK Government as can be seen in the next pane.
The next clip shows an academic opinion of the environmental challenges facing the UK.
Brexit is casting a long shadow over the future of the UK. Environmentalists are concerned that leaving the EU will be bad for protection of the environment. The next two panes explain their concerns.
The following resource is from the UK Environmental Agency. This agency has produced many interesting clips. See below.
The following clips are from the Scottish Environmental Agency.
Global Warming. Have we done too little too late?
Environmentalists are worried that the cold weather at the end of February was caused by global warming. London has been colder than the north pole and the Arctic ice has been reduced. Do you think this is just a passing weather condition or a sign of global warming? Read the next panes and produce a list of evidence for and against the weather being caused by global warming.
The cold 'snap' was called 'The beast from the East'. Follow the links to read all about it.

Be a tourist!

Visit each of the capital cities of the UK and write a postcard or letter home.
Visit London and write a letter on postcard home!
Visit Edinburgh, Scotland's capital city.
Cardiff is the capital of Wales.
Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland. We hope you enjoy the sights in the next pane.

The End!
We hope you enjoyed the Summer School.

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