ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ

How English are you?
What makes you think that you’re English?
Will you celebrate St George's Day?

For a group of Year 11 pupils from Raincliffe School, Scarborough, these were the challenging questions put to them as part of a community project with ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio York.

April 23rd is a significant day for the English, it’s the day of the patron saint St George, and it’s the birthday (and death-day) of William Shakespeare. But do the English as a race celebrate this day? The Scots, the Irish and the Welsh go big-time on their saint’s days, but the English β€œdon’t seem to be bothered”. So, what is it to be English?

β€œAm I bovvered?”

ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio York journalists (and grumpy old men) Andrew Barton and Adam Tomlinson visited Raincliffe School and began the session with an β€œEnglishness” quiz. Below is a sample of the questions the students were asked. How do you think you would've done?

The students working on their plays

• What is another name for the Houses of Parliament? (the Palace of Westminster)
• Where did the Great Fire of London start? (Pudding Lane)
• Where did William Shakespeare live? (Stratford upon Avon)
• Where, in 1215, was Magna Carta signed? (Runnymede)

The students were then challenged to come up with a short piece of drama which would illustrate all things English, and it was amazing what they came up with - their plays included diverse subjects and locations, from cafΓ©s, weddings, holidays and even Churchill.

So have they got it right, and is English nationality really that important?