Britain | The new Britons

The children of Britain’s eastern European immigrants are changing the country

They are an optimistic, confused bunch

Wearing traditional Cracovian dress, Ola Sawicka and Marta Tatol, members of a Polish migrant's folk group,  rehearse before their show at a 'Polish Day' in an Ealing park organised by London published Polish migrant newpaper 'Goniec'.
Image: Panos
|WELWYN GARDEN CITY

It is the last day of term at the Polish Saturday school in Welwyn Garden City, north of London. A group of teenagers spills from a classroom into the hallway. Most are the children of Poles, and can speak the language fluently. But as soon as they cross the threshold they slip into English, inflected with the mild Cockney accent of Hertfordshire. It happens a lot, says the headteacher, Iwona Pniewska.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “A way in the world”

From the December 24th 2022 edition

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