Guide to language school towns in Britain (UK/England)

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< Up	Britain / Towns / Guide
Information about towns in the UK


Sections:	Introduction
	Top 10 language school towns
	Other towns
	Links

Related pages:	London ; Cambridge ; Oxford ; Brighton ; Bournemouth
	Eastbourne ; Hastings ; Bath ; Canterbury ; Exeter

INTRODUCTION

This section provides information about some popular locations for studying in the UK.
For 10 top locations for language schools, a page has been created for each to allow you to compare them (these pages will also be useful if you are going to these towns for some other reason: for example, as a tourist or to study at a college or university there).
For other locations, links are provided to help you to find out more about the character of the town or city.

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TOP 10 LANGUAGE SCHOOL TOWNS

Ten of the most popular towns for studying English in a language school are shown on the map below. These are located in south England, where the weather is warmest and the local accents is often easier for foreigners to understand. London is the most popular destination, followed by the university towns of Cambridge and Oxford. South coast resorts are also popular, especially in summer: Brighton, Bournemouth, Eastbourne and Hastings all attract large numbers of language school students. Bath, Canterbury and Exeter are attractive historic towns. Click on a location for more information about life in the town.

Each page explains how to travel there by train or coach from London. There is a link to a street map, centred around the tourist information office (use the arrows to see a different part of the town, or change the scale to see a map of the surrounding area). The town is described through pictures and descriptions of some of the main features. The Environment section gives some information about the quality of life in the town. The Transport section explains about how to get around the town and local area. The Entertainment section describes some of the things to do in your free time.

Useful links are provided for each town. Visitors to the towns may want to find out more by visiting the websites of the regional tourist board or of the town's tourist information office. Students may want to investigate the websites of the local universities or colleges, or to look through the archives of the local newspaper. The town council's site often provides practical information about schools, libraries and local travel and other facilities.

Below is a table comparing some statistics for each of the towns:

	Population (Note 1)	Violence (Note 2)	Wealth (Note 3)	Nightclubs (Note 4)
London	7,187,000	-	-	(many)
Cambridge	121,000	11.9	263	7
Oxford	144,000	13.5	176	11
Brighton & Hove	256,000	17.3	94	20
Bournemouth	162,000	10.6	118	14
Eastbourne	91,000	13.2	136	4
Hastings	81,000	26.9	27	4
Bath	85,000	9.6	268	9
Canterbury	46,000	6.9	165	3
Exeter	111,000	10.3	123	6

Note 1: Average resident population 1998. Source: Oxford University estimates.
Note 2: Reported incidents of violence against the person (offences per 1000 people, 2001/2002). Local authority crime figures, produced by the Home Office.
Note 3: Average of Ward Ranks. Source: Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions, Indices of Deprivation 2000 (produced by the Index group at Oxford University). A low number indicates more social problems such as unemployment or poverty. 354 districts were ranked.
Note 4: Number of nightclubs in the town shown in Yellow Pages as at the start of 2002.

There are of course many other possible locations in which to study English. If you study in a location where there are fewer language schools, you may find that people are more friendly to you, and it might be easier to make British friends there (and there may be fewer people there who speak your language, so you will have to speak English). There may be quite strong accents in some areas of the UK: it may take you some time to get used to these. For information about language schools in the north of England (for example, in Manchester or York), see the English In The North site: http://www.englishinthenorth.org. For information about learning English in other locations, including Scotland (for example, in Edinburgh or Glasgow) or Wales (for example, in Cardiff), see: http://www.englishinbritain.org.uk.

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OTHER TOWNS

For photos and information about many other towns in the UK, see: Travel/Tours

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LINKS

Finding a language school: Course
Studying English: English/Study
Tours in the UK: Travel/Tours

Home page: Home

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© UK Student Life 2002-2009

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