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 „Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?” That is the question that adult UK-citizens will be asked in the EU-Referendum on 23rd June 2016.
As a German – English couple with different, not dual nationalities, having family in England, Sweden and Germany, and many close friends not only in these three countries but in Belgium, France, Spain and Austria, we are, of course, staunch and committed ‘Remainers’, though only one of us will be asked the above question.
As the heated debate about the right answer to the referendum question is getting more ferocious by the week we wonder why this debate seems to concentrate almost exclusively on the economic aspects of a possible Brexit for the United Kingdom, its economy and its taxpayers.
‘Brexiteers’ hardly give a thought to the potentially devastating consequences a Brexit at this particular moment might have not only for the British economy but for the stability of the EU as a whole, because whatever the result, the British are and will remain a part of Europe.
At present the European Union is seriously challenged by three critical issues:

 

• The ‘Putin-crisis’ dominated by a Russian president who is reclaiming the status of a world power for his country and is trying to split the EU by a quite unique mix of propaganda, bullying and lies.
• The refugee crisis which came to the boil in the latter part of 2015 and has caused bitter rifts within European societies and between western and eastern European states. Driven by fear and lack of personal experience with people from other nations and cultures, there is growing support across Europe for nationalism and populism because these appear to offer clear and simple answers to very complex problems.
• The Euro-crisis which is far from being solved: Billions and billions of Euros have been pumped into the Greek economy – obviously in vain….

Solving any of these problems will take time, solidarity and firm resolve on all sides. None of these problems will disappear from the political agenda of the UK after 23rd June, irrespective of the outcome of the referendum.
On the contrary: If the UK left the EU right now this would not only make it more difficult to solve these problems but it would also weaken the EU as a whole and impair its urgently needed authority as an important international player. Moreover,the political and economic repercussions of Great Britain leaving the EU will undoubtedly do serious economic damage to this country which also might find itself politically more isolated than supporters of this irrevocable step can imagine:
“EU member states will be determined to prevent the contagion of disintegration among its member states resulting from a Brexit: so they will never make it easy for us to leave and will exact tough terms from us in prolonged negotiations. As President Hollande said, “there will be consequences”.
(Richard Barber, “EU Referendum – responding to the Brexiteers”, April 16, p.4)

This quotation is from a paper written by Richard Barber OBE, a former Commercial Director of British Steel. This paper, which you will find attached, gives a succinct summary of the issues which are at stake in this referendum. Barber’s principal argument:
“…in an increasingly interdependent world, countries must opt, not between pure sovereignty and the pooled sort, but between the pooled sort and isolation […] There is no strength in isolation and no power without allies.” (ibid., p.4)
Nobody should doubt that further reforms of the EU and its institutions are urgently needed. Nobody should doubt that national states – large or small – still have a decisive and indispensable role to play. Their diversity is our wealth, our happiness. But if arguments prevail and not a general feeling of uneasiness and fear of “Brussels” as the source of all evil the outcome of the referendum should be clear.

Social media in Germany have been instrumental in starting an initiative “Hug a Brit a day!” – just to let them know how much we love them and want them to stay in the EU. So, dear family, friends and neighbours, we send our love with hugs and blessings.
Horst and Patricia. Bournemouth, May 2016
Horst and Patricia Tippkötter-Davis
Bournemouth BH8 9JA, United Kingdom
51465 Bergisch Gladbach, Germany

 

	View : Richard Barber, “EU Referendum – responding to the Brexiteers”, April 16 pdf

 

My name is Nadine, I am 14 years old and go to Landrat-Lucas-Gymnasium in Leverkusen. In 9^th form, every pupil has to do 2-week work experience. Since I wanted to do my work experience abroad and am very interested in various fields of arts, I was very happy to get the placement at South Hill Park. South Hill Park is a cultural centre and is located in a very nice, big park. There are lots of interesting offers such as workshops, classes, a cinema, a theatre or other events. You can even rent rooms for events.

I started at 10 a.m. every day and spent most of my time with the people of the set who were all really nice. In total, I worked for eight projects and painted e.g. sceneries or prepared a room for a birthday party. I got along very well with my colleagues and learned a lot about how much work needs to be put into a theatre play.

I really enjoyed my work experience very much and at the end I had the chance to watch the play “One Man, Two Guvnors”  which was really funny!

OVERVIEW

We are a large three form entry Primary school with 656 pupils, located in the centre of Bracknell. In 2002, Sandy Lane Nursery, Infant School and Junior School amalgamated to become Sandy Lane Primary School. We have a wonderful team of staff, governors and pupils who help make Sandy Lane a great place to learn. We are also lucky to have lots of space, playgrounds and green fields to play on!

Our logo is a lion and our motto is PRIDE:

Positive Respect Independent Determined Enquiry

We are very successful in sport and are lucky to have a specialist PE teacher, Mr. Medford. We offer all sorts of clubs including a brilliant choir led by our Assistant Head Teacher, Miss. Einchcomb. We have a Junior Leadership Team (JLT), who work closely with our Head Teacher, Miss Jackson.

GERMAN

At the start of this new academic year 2015-2016, we made a few changes to our Foreign Languages Curriculum. Last year the government made the learning of foreign languages at Key Stage 2 statutory. The new programme of study states that:

‘Teaching may be of any modern or ancient foreign language and should focus on enabling pupils to make substantial progress in one language.’

For many years now Sandy Lane has been ‘ahead of the game’ with French and German being taught at Key Stage 2. However, in order to adhere to the new curriculum, we made the decision that German will be taught across Years 3-6. We’re very excited about the level of language and confidence that pupils will have after 3-4 years of learning German!

Frau Marshall is a specialist Language Teacher who teaches German across Key Stage 2 (ages 7-11). Each class has one 45-60 minute lesson each week for three-four half terms of the six in the academic year. We learn German through all sorts of fun language games, short films, songs and stories. We also learn about German customs and festivals across the year. Sometimes we have native speakers who visit and we have good links to our neighbouring secondary school, Garth Hill College. Last year, we welcomed a group of Year 8 students, who taught a lesson about zoo animals to our Year 5 classes.

In Year 3, pupils take it in turns to take home a ‘German Bag’, which includes a teddy and his/her identity card, a board book, recipe cards, language games, a selection of Euro-coins and a note book. Pupils share photos, experiences, new facts or words with their class each week.

Die deutsche Teddybären heißen Lars, Leonie, Florian and Katja! The teddies get to go on some very exciting adventures from bowling to Cub Scout Camps and even abroad!

In Year 4, pupils learn about food and drink. This year we are planning a German Frühstück or Kaffee Kuchen. They will perform café role-plays, design menus and table mats and also serve each other, including some important guests using their German language skills. At Christmas time, Year 4s enjoyed sampling Lebkuchen, Spekulatius and Stollen! Spekulatius was the clear winner!

Children at Sandy Lane really enjoy performing and sharing what they learn in German to an audience! For example, at Christmas time, Year 5 put together a performance all about Christmas in Germany. They made shoes for St. Nikolaus and wrote a letter to him. They worked out the meaning of the poem ‘Advent, Advent ein Lichtlein brennt’ and designed their own Adventskranz. Christmas vocabulary and numbers were practised by making a class Adventskalender and we learnt the song ‘Lasst uns froh und munter sein’. Some children dressed up as St. Nikolaus, Krampus and German children in their pyjamas and acted out the song, whilst the rest of the class sang in German.

In Year 6, we learn about the weather. We write, perform and film our own weather reports to the class using props and our geographical knowledge of Germany. We are becoming more confident in writing from memory, using intensifiers and using our knowledge of German grammar.

Last year, the Year 6s also learnt how to describe their families. They used bi-lingual dictionaries to find adjectives, which described their mothers or a special family member and then made some wonderful Mother’s Day sentence flowers.

Sandy Lane Primary School would love to find a school in Leverkusen to share our work with and help us in our German language learning journey!

 

 

 

 

 

Work experience abroad

Where do you learn better English than in England itself? England, the mysterious island in Europe, that everyone knows, but not really.

Because I want to study English at university and I did not feel ready directly after school, I thought to myself:” Which preparation is better for this study then living in that particular country?”

At first I thought to myself to do a European Voluntary Service in Great Britain, but the places are much sought-after, because most of the costs are being covered by the European Union. Therefore it was more unlikely, that I would get a place. That is where my neighbour brought attention the twinning between my hometown Leverkusen and the English town Bracknell. Maybe the partnership could offer me a work placement? I contacted the person responsible for the partnership in Leverkusen and my request was passed on. I decided for six months beginning with September, so that I could deal with universities the rest of the year and not worry about it.

A few weeks later I got an answer: There was a possibility to do work experience. I would get accommodation with a host family. That, however, would be in Church Crookham, Fleet – ca. 30 minutes away with a car from Bracknell, where I would work.

I was so glad – in my relief (the weeks before I lived in a perpetual light panic) I have already imagined my life in England.

That is how I got a place as a trainee at the Education Centre of the Bracknell Forest Council in Bracknell. The Education Centre is on the third floor at Easthampstead Park – a old Victorian mansion. It is a centre for meetings and courses for all the things education that is used by the council, teachers and other people and not only by Bracknell Forest.

This could only be good.

But even in my dreams I did not imagine that in three points there would be problems: With the registration with a GP, with opening a bank account and with the public transport and the traffic.

In the first week we tried to register with a GP and to open a bank account. It was easier said than done. At the doctors they needed a proof of address, that could only be done by an official person (in my case my employer). At the bank they needed a letter of introduction, in my case form my GP, to be sure that I am the one I supposed to be. To cut it short: Without a letter of introduction no bank account and without a proof of address from my employer no registration with the doctor.

After I got the letter from my employer that says that I live under a certain address in England, we went to the doctors’ again. This time they could not register me, because I dod not belong to their assigned area, even though my host family had been there for years. But maybe they changed the laws over that time.

In the meantime I made enquiries at another bank: They would only open a bank account for at least twelve months. I wanted one only for six months.

In October I was finally registered with my assigned doctor’s practice. But they could not help me request with a letter of introduction from my GP, because they were not entitled to attest to the information I gave them about my address in England. Fortunately they suggested “Lloyds Bank” which does not need a letter of introduction.

After getting an appointment in the branch in Fleet and arriving there a bit nervous, I had to read that it is closed and had been so when I made the appointment. Full of panic I called them and made a new appointment in Farnborough, after they apologized and asked me whether I received a letter about the closure, which I did not.

After that there were no problems – I only needed my ID to open a bank account – as it should have been – we are all in the EU after all.

Thus I became the proud owner of an English bank account in the second week of November. And I thought it could have been already settled in September. So: Better find out ahead what you need for the doctor or to open a bank account. I definitely learned that.

But the good things overshadowed the bad things long time ago.

I was welcomed wonderfully by my host family and was spoiled with delicious food and interesting stories. I now understand the almost obsession of the English with all kinds of lemon cakes, but it is still strange for me to see other pies being filled with fish or meat. In addition you learn a lot of tips and tricks from the world of cooking from the many cooking programmes and of course from the “Great British Bake Off”.

Despite the two-hour-long way to work with three buses (of course I do not drive with a car here) I am always looking forward to it. The people are incredibly nice and you have the feeling of belonging there immediately. I was brought to the happenings instantly: The guests of the different courses, that were held every day, are provided with coffee, tea and biscuits and the ordered lunches are unpacked by us. Confirmation letters to courses have to be sent and invoices have to be paid.

I am sitting in the resources room, where teachers of Bracknell Forest can lend schoolbooks, CDs, novels and games. To make it easier, we are in the process of cataloguing and digitalizing the resources to make an online catalogue.

But the guests of the different meetings and courses always come first. And another new discovery for me: The Brits cannot live without biscuits. There are so many and different varieties and all of them are incredibly delicious – therefore one understands why they are so important. So: Without biscuits nothing works.

In the end of the day I can begin my journey home with the three buses. For that was the next shock: Firstly, most of the buses only have doors at the front, so that people get off the bus, before other people can go in (and that in a calm and orderly way). The first that got in was most of the time the first that waited at the bus stop and not in terms of the place he was standing but in terms of how long he waited. And secondly, the traffic that kind of appears out of nowhere. That the motorways are full was nothing new to me – in Germany it is common practice – but that normal roads are full, that was something new for me.

There are simply too many cars on too narrow roads and if anything goes wrong, it feels as if the whole system is breaking. But I am dependent on the public transport and do not want to be dependent on my host family.

That is why it is really stressful for me to sit in the bus in traffic, hoping that we arrive before the next to last bus, which brings me home, departs.

So: You should see the bus time tables in the south east region of England rather as a guideline.

And yet the bus drivers are not at fault, because they try to arrive on time and be helpful. In Germany I have never seen it really. Here it is appropriate to greet the bus driver and thank him in the end. That has a positive effect: When arriving late you are not that frustrated anymore, because the bus drivers are just human and they could not help it.

So: The traffic can be slow (especially at rush hour). You can adjust to it and have a chat with your neighbour and thank the bus driver in the end.

So the first impression: Wow! Actually it is different than I imagined. Even though sometimes there are problems in politics and in the economy, the people here are always kind and polite and on the streets kind of more chatty than in Germany. Maybe Germany could copy this.