English School Traditions

There is a great variety of schools in England. The most wide-spread type is Boarding Schools, where students live as well as study. The first schools appeared in the Middle Ages, mainly within monasteries. Since these times a lot has changed, but there are traditions which remain now and still play an important role in the school life of English students.

1. School Uniform School uniforms were first introduced in England by Henry VIII and were called “bluecoats” because of blue jackets. Then the popularity of uniforms increased and most schools had them. The uniform was different according to age, gender and even season (winter and summer uniforms). Nowadays the government in England tend to encourage the use of uniforms as a means of discipline and positive behaviour.

2. Emblems / badges Most schools in England have adopted an emblem or a badges in order to distinguish themselves from other schools. The emblems may be seen on notice boards in front of schools, on exercise books and as items of schools uniform, for example, on blazers, pullovers or caps. These emblems usually include a picture or a symbol and a motto of a school.

3. Sport Sport is important in English schools. It’s especially popular at private schools which have a long tradition of sport. Nearly all schools have had a sport team from the post World War II period. The most important sport games are: football, basketball, cricket, hockey, tennis, gymnastics. Some schools have special sport uniforms.

4. Art English schools have a wide variety of activities connected with art. Some of these activities are connected with the academic programme, others are extra-curriculum and depend on the type of school. Nowadays traditional Drama classes are supplemented by new modern art genres like photography and design.