English Pupils in Minority

AROUND one in seven youngsters in primary school, almost 500,000, do not have English as their first language. In secondary schools the figure stands at 364,000 just over in 10.

At Nelson Primary in Newham, three quarters of pupils are now not native English speakers and some 56 different languages are spoken. Many towns and cities are struggling to cope with the influx of foreigners.

The statistics released by the Department for Children, Schools, and families, reveal there are now 1,284 primary schools, 210 secondary schools, and 51 special schools, where more than half the pupils come from a non-English speaking background.

Briton’s who will live to 100

ONE IN eight of the people who turn 50 this year will live to the grand old age of 100 a study shows. It means that instead of 12,000 centenarians in Britain as there are today, more than 300,000 people will celebrating their 100thbirtday in 2059, as the UK  sees a massive surge in people living longer and healthier lives.

This represents a huge change from previous generations – less than one per cent of 50-year-0lds born in 1959 can expect to reach 100.

It has happened because the over 50 are taking better care of their health and advances in medical science mean conditions that would once have been life-threatening can now be treated.

However Age UK warned of the challenges faced by a country with a rapid growing ageing population. The charities Director Michelle Mitchell said “The projected rise in the number of centenarians is a cause for real celebration. But the growth of an older population will mean significant challenges  for policy makers in terms of funding and investing in the sort of services which an ageing society will rely on.

Going to Bed Earlier

BEDTIMES are getting earlier as people ride out the recession by staying at home, research revealed.

The average time for adults to go to bed, on a week night, is now 10.30pm, a whole hour earlier than two years ago. Experts blame the economic downturn as   people save cash by simply having an early night.  The poll of 3,000 men and women by Jockey Underwear showed Britons are now dedicated home-bodies,   further evidence also points at a nation of stay-homes, with sales of delivered pizzas and even widescreen television rising as people shun going out to save money.

Keeping Fit

EXERCISE in the open air is better for your health than a gym session say scientists. Just five minutes of   green exercise is enough to improve mood and self esteem according to a study of 1,200 people. It also reduces the risk of mental illness.

New experts hope the UK findings published in the journal of the American Chemical Society will encourage doctors to prescribe exercise instead of pills.

Researcher Dr. Jo Barton of Essex University said “The fact you only have to do it for five minutes to see a positive effect is encouraging.”

Getting away from Britain

NINE out of 10 Britons living abroad believe they have a better quality of life than they would in the UK. On average pay for managers and professionals who choose to work abroad is up to £20,000 higher than they would get here. The findings from a study by NatWest underline the reasons why emigration among Britons has reached record highs.

More than 200,000 British citizen left the country to live abroad in 2006, followed by another 160,000 in 2007. However, in 2007 only 75,000 Britons who had been living or working in a foreign country chose to return, again a record low.

Researchers asked 1,306 Britons living in Australia, Canada, China, France, South America, Hong Kong, USA, UAE, and New Zealand why they enjoyed living overseas. The natural environment topped the list followed by climate, culture and leisure, healthcare, education, and safety and security, financial well being and infrastructure.

Expats claim they manage to achieve a better work/life balance with much more leisure time.

London Defies the Slump

TOURISM in London defied the recession with an increase in the number of visitors to the capital from overseas last year.

The weakness of the pound against the euro and dollar boosted the tourist industry and pushed spending to nearly £1 billion higher last year than the year before.

The International Passenger Survey shows that the number of leisure visitors to London from overseas rose by seven per cent  to around seven million last year.

While here they spent nearly £4 billion an increase of 24 per cent on 2008. West End retailers are calling for visa rules to be relaxed making it easier and cheaper for Chinese tourists to visit London. More than 45 million overseas shoppers are expected to spend £2.2 billion in the capital in the run up to the 2012 Olympics.

A surge in Chinese tourists has seen takings at West End shops increase by at least  £50 million over the past two years.

Experts said the capital had benefited from sterling’s fall against foreign currencies with those in the euro-zone particularly taking advantage . Visitors from Germany increased by 34 per cent, Spain by 27 per cent. and France 19 per cent.

The total number of visitors to London last year was around 14 million, a decline of four per cent which was blamed on a sharp drop in the number of business travellers. Business trips fell by 19 per cent in the period while the number of visitors to see friends and family fell by 13 per cent.

Working Overtime

STAYING late in the office or working overtimes is bad for the heart, researchers warned.

A study of 6,000 British civil servants found that those who regularly

worked 10 nor 11 hour days  were

up to 60 per cent more likely to suffer heart disease or die younger than those who worked shorter hours,

The UK has the longest working hours of any EU country with Britons working an average of 41.6 hours a week. In comparison the European’s average 40.1 hours. The research published online in the European Heart Journal found that people who worked three or more hours longer than a normal seven hour day put their health at risk, possible as result of being more stressed and having less time to unwind.

TALKING about working in Britain, there is four times more European’s working in the UK than Brits in the EU.   Figures revealed up to 1.2 million people from EU countries including Poland, France and Germany are employed here.

However, by contrast there are only 287,l00 Brits working in other countries in the European Union,

Drinking Alcohol

BRITISH revellers drink more alcohol than anyone else in Europe. The  study by pollsters Eurobarmeters found that while Britain are not Europe’s most frequent drinkers, once we are on a drinking session, we guzzle more alcohol than anyone else.

Some 12 per cent of Britons admitted to downing more than seven drinks in a session. For the purposes of the survey, one drink we defined as a single glass of wine, beer or spirits. Britain’s binge-drinking put it ahead of the likes of Ireland, Finland and Germany which have all scored highly in previous alcohol studies, while in Bulgaria, Greece, and Austria, not one person admitted drinking more than seven drinks in a single session

A Eurobarometer spokesman added Europe is the region with the highest per capita alcohol consumption in the world. And Britain tops the league for the largest volumes drink in a single session.

Home Office figures show crime and disorder caused by binge drinking costs the taxpayer between £8 billion and £13 billion  a year.

Looking for a New Relationship

DIVORCED women are flocking for plastic surgery to turn back the years and help them win new younger lovers. Many are even using their divorce payout to find their new look, say experts. Harley Medical Group which runs 28 UK cosmetic surgery clinics said, the number of over 40’s wanting anti-ageing procedures was up by 9 per cent in a year, Director Liz Dale said “Post divorce patients see it as a confidence boost, especially if they are looking for a new relationship.