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112-620: During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools in the UK had periods of closure and some teaching was done purely online. The government allocated funds to help disadvantaged students aged 5 to 16 catch up their lost learning. Initially in 2020 a billion pounds were allocated, including 350 million for the National Tutoring Programme to spend for a year. Later announcements extended this to two years and pledged an additional 700 million, 200 million of which

224-632: A Local Transport Plan (LTP) which outlines their strategies, policies and implementation programme. The most recent LTP is that for the period 2006–11. In the South West region the following transport authorities have published their LTP online: Bournemouth U.A., Cornwall U.A., Devon , Dorset , Gloucestershire , Plymouth U.A., Somerset , Swindon U. A., Torbay U. A. and Wiltshire unitary authority . The transport authorities of Bath and North East Somerset U. A., Bristol U. A., North Somerset U. A. and South Gloucestershire U. A. publish

336-504: A $ 346 million loss on the sale. In 2000, Pearson merged its television holdings with CLT-UFA to form the RTL Group . In 2002 it exited the industry entirely by selling its 22% stake in RTL to Bertelsmann . Marjorie Scardino , who was CEO of Pearson plc from 1997 to 2013, increasingly focused the conglomerate on education and on making education acquisitions. In 1998, Pearson plc purchased

448-515: A cultural and historic unity or identity of itself, which has led to criticism of it as an "artificial" construct. The large area of the region, stretching as it does from the Isles of Scilly to Gloucestershire, encompasses diverse areas which have little more in common with each other than they do with other areas of England. The region has several TV stations and newspapers based in different areas, and no single acknowledged regional "capital". Many people in

560-664: A digital learning technology group, in 2007. It sold Silver Burdett Ginn Religion, a Catholic publishing division it operated under the Scott Foresman imprint, to RCL Benziger in 2007. In 2007 Pearson Education sold the Macmillan name to Holtzbrinck Publishing Group , which had purchased Macmillan Publishing Ltd. in the late 1990s. In 2008 Pearson acquired Harcourt Assessment and Harcourt Education International from Reed Elsevier and merged them into Pearson Assessment & Information. In February 2008, Pearson announced

672-417: A few of whom appear to have been descended from pre-Conquest families. In 1140, during the civil war of King Stephen 's reign, the castles of Plympton and Exeter were held against the king by Baldwin de Redvers and this gave rise to the defensive castles at Corfe Castle , Powerstock , Wareham and Shaftesbury . The period saw the growth of towns such as Truro , Totnes , Okehampton and Plympton in

784-603: A finance and issuing house. In 1919 Pearson also acquired a 45% stake in the London branch of merchant bankers Lazard Brothers , an interest which was increased to 80% in 1932 during the depression years. In 1976 Pearson acquired a stake in Embankment Trust Ltd. By 1990 Pearson's stake in Lazard Brothers was reduced to 50% following Lazard's internationalization to Paris and New York, and Pearson acquired 10% stakes in

896-823: A higher proportion of people live in such areas than in any other English region. There are two major regional cities in terms of population, which are Bristol and Plymouth (although Bristol is larger by some consideration), and two major conurbations which are the South East Dorset Conurbation (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) and the Bristol Metropolitan Conurbation (which includes the City of Bristol and areas of South Gloucestershire). Cities and Towns with specific tourist and cultural sites of interest include Bath, Bristol, Salisbury, Plymouth, Exeter, Cheltenham, Gloucester and Weston-super-Mare, as well as

1008-526: A major oil company in the U.S., Amerada Corporation , in 1919. Amerada was compulsorily acquired by the British government in 1941 due to World War II; a small interest was reacquired by Pearson in 1945. In the 1950s Pearson expanded its North American oil and gas interests, and in the 1970s also expanded them globally. By 1989, Pearson divested its oil and gas exploration activities and sold Whitehall Petroleum. In 1919, Pearson founded Whitehall Trust Ltd. as

1120-757: A military road, or Herepath , to allow his army to cover Viking movements at sea. The Herepath has a characteristic form which is familiar on the Quantocks: a regulation 20 m wide track between avenues of trees growing from hedge laying embankments. A peace treaty with the Danes was signed at Wedmore and the Danish king Guthrum the Old was baptised at Aller . Burhs (fortified places) had been set up by 919, such as Lyng . The Alfred Jewel , an object about 2.5-inch (64 mm) long, made of filigree gold, cloisonné -enamelled and with

1232-600: A number of TV production and broadcasting assets, including former ITV franchisee Thames Television , Australian production company Grundy Television , U.S. television company All American Communications Inc., Italian drama production company Mastrofilm, European animation financer and distributor EVA Entertainment, and UK production company Talkback Productions . In 1994, Pearson acquired software publisher The Software Toolworks for US$ 462 million, and rebranded it Mindscape . In 1998, Pearson sold Mindscape to The Learning Company for US$ 150 million, taking

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1344-499: A rock crystal covering, was found in 1693 at Petherton Park , North Petherton . This is believed to have been owned by King Alfred. Monasteries and minster churches were set up all over Somerset, with daughter churches of the minsters in manors. There was a royal palace at Cheddar , which was used at times in the 10th century to host the Witenagemot . In the late pre-Norman period, the east coast of modern-day England came under

1456-531: A single Joint Local Transport Plan as part of the West of England Partnership . There is evidence from flint artefacts in a quarry at Westbury-sub-Mendip that an ancestor of modern man, possibly Homo heidelbergensis , was present in the future Somerset from around 500,000 years ago. There is some evidence of human occupation of southern England before the last ice age , such as at Kents Cavern in Devon, but largely in

1568-533: A temporary Roman occupation. The massacre at Cadbury Castle seems to have been associated with the later Boudiccan Revolt of AD 60–61. The Roman invasion, and possibly the preceding period of involvement in the internal affairs of the south of England, was inspired in part by the lead mines of the Mendip Hills , which also offered the potential for the extraction of silver. Forts were set up at Bath and Ilchester . The lead and silver mines at Charterhouse in

1680-605: A yearly tribute or danegeld to Sweyn and later Canute, all three areas retained their autonomy from the Danes. Ultimately, the Danes lost control of Wessex in 1042 on the death of both of Canute's sons. Edward the Confessor retook Wessex for the Saxons. In 1016 Edmund Ironside was crowned king at Glastonbury. After the Norman Conquest the region was controlled by various Norman as well as Breton lords and later by local gentry,

1792-568: Is classed as oceanic ( Cfb ) according to the Köppen climate classification . The oceanic climate typically experiences cool winters with warmer summers and precipitation all year round, with more experienced in winter. Annual rainfall is about 1,000 millimetres (39 in) and up to 2,000 millimetres (79 in) on higher ground. Summer maxima averages range from 18 °C (64 °F) to 22 °C (72 °F) and winter minimum averages range from 1 °C (34 °F) to 4 °C (39 °F) across

1904-644: Is currently the only county in the region where there are electric trains, though the Great Western Main Line and the South Wales Main Line in Wiltshire, Somerset, Greater Bristol and Gloucestershire is being electrified . SWR operate services to and from London Waterloo and serves every county in the region except Gloucestershire and Cornwall. GWR serves all counties in the region and operate to various destinations, some of which run to South Wales and

2016-466: Is generally considered that Cornwall came fully under the dominion of the English Crown in the time of Athelstan 's rule, i.e. 924–939. In the absence of any specific documentation to record this event, supporters of Cornwall's English status presume that it then became part of England. However, in 944, within a mere five years of Athelstan's death, King Edmund issued a charter styling himself "King of

2128-562: Is geographically the largest of the nine regions of England with a land area of 9,203 square miles (23,836 km ), but the third-least populous, with an estimated 5,764,881 residents in 2022. The region includes the West Country and much of the ancient kingdom of Wessex . It includes two entire national parks , Dartmoor and Exmoor (a small part of the New Forest is also within the region); and four World Heritage Sites : Stonehenge ,

2240-501: The Association of School and College Leaders said that the way the money is being distributed "may decrease its effectiveness", and that it would be better to give the money directly to schools and colleges. Richard Adams, education editor of The Guardian , has argued that the scheme would be more effective if the schools received the money directly. It was revealed in March 2021 that one of

2352-512: The Battle of Lose-coat Field . The organisation of the region remained based on the shires and Church estates, which were largely unchanged throughout the period. Some of the most important nobles in the South West included the Courtenays Earl of Devon, William Bonville, 1st Baron Bonville , and Humphrey Stafford, earl of Devon whose wider influence stretched from Cornwall to Wiltshire. After 1485,

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2464-734: The Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape , the Jurassic Coast and the City of Bath . The northern part of Gloucestershire, near Chipping Campden , is as close to the Scottish border as it is to the tip of Cornwall. The region has by far the longest coastline of any English region. Following the abolition of the South West Regional Assembly in 2008 and Government Office in 2011, South West Councils provide local government coordination in

2576-673: The Danelaw . Sweyn ruled Wessex, along with his other realms, from 1013 onwards, followed by his son Canute the Great . But Cornwall was not part of his realm of Wessex. A map by the American historian called "The Dominions of Canute" (pictured just above) shows that Cornwall, like Wales and Scotland, was part neither of Sweyn Forkbeard's nor of Canute's Danish empire. Neither Sweyn Forkbeard nor Canute conquered or controlled Scotland, Wales or Cornwall; but these areas were "client nations": subject to payment of

2688-612: The Devon border to the mouth of the River Axe . Historically, the main port on the river was at Bridgwater; the river being bridged at this point, with the first bridge being constructed in 1200. Quays were built in 1424; with another quay, the Langport slip , being built in 1488 upstream of the Town Bridge. In Bristol the port began to develop in the 11th century. By the 12th century Bristol

2800-789: The FTSE 100 Index . It has a secondary listing on the New York Stock Exchange in the form of American depositary receipts . In 1844 Samuel Pearson became an associate partner in a small brickmaking and contracting civil engineering company in Huddersfield , West Yorkshire. In 1856 Pearson's eldest son George entered the business, which became known as S Pearson & Son , "sanitary tube and brickmakers and contractors for local public works in and around Bradford ". In 1880, control passed to Samuel's grandson Weetman Dickinson Pearson (later 1st Viscount Cowdray), an engineer, who in 1890 moved

2912-522: The Fairey Group in 1980, and its engineering was merged with Doulton's industrial ceramics engineering. Pearson sold Doulton Glass Industries Ltd. in 1982. The Fairey Group became independent of Pearson in 1986 via a management buy-out. As Pearson refocused on its core publishing and media industries, it divested Royal Doulton, which was its remaining fine china division and the last of Pearson's manufacturing assets, in 1993. The conglomerate entered

3024-620: The Frome Hoard , one of the largest ever hoards of Roman coins discovered in Britain, was found by a metal detectorist. The hoard of 52,500 coins dated from the 3rd century AD and was found buried in a field near Frome , in a jar 14 inches (36 cm) below the surface. The coins were excavated by archaeologists from the Portable Antiquities Scheme . After the Romans left at the start of

3136-806: The Halifax Dry Dock in Canada, the East River Railway Tunnels in New York City , the Mexican Grand Canal that drained Mexico City , the Tehuantepec Railway in Mexico , and railways and harbours around the world. In November 1915, the firm began construction of HM Factory, Gretna , the largest cordite factory in the UK during World War I . The construction business was shut down in

3248-482: The Mendip Hills . The human bone fragments it contained, from about 21 different individuals, are thought to be roughly between 10,200 and 10,400 years old. During this time the tundra gave way to birch forests and grassland and evidence for human settlement appears at Salisbury Plain , Wiltshire and Hengistbury Head , Dorset. At the end of the last Ice Age the Bristol Channel was dry land, but subsequently

3360-778: The Pagans Hill Roman Temple at Chew Stoke . In October 2001 the West Bagborough Hoard of 4th-century Roman silver was discovered in West Bagborough . The 681 coins included two denarii from the early 2nd century and 8 miliarensia and 671 siliquae all dating from AD 337 to 367. The majority were struck in the reigns of emperors Constantius II and Julian and derive from a range of mints including Arles and Lyons in France, Trier in Germany, and Rome. In April 2010,

3472-530: The Purbeck Hills . These downs are the principal area of arable agriculture in the region. Limestone is also found in the region, at the Cotswolds , Quantock Hills and Mendip Hills , where they support sheep farming. All of the principal rock types can be seen on the Jurassic Coast of Dorset and East Devon, where they document the entire Mesozoic era from west to east. The climate of South West England

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3584-492: The Roman baths . Excavations carried out before the flooding of Chew Valley Lake also uncovered Roman remains, indicating agricultural and industrial activity from the second half of the 1st century until the 3rd century AD. The finds included a moderately large villa at Chew Park, where wooden writing tablets (the first in the UK) with ink writing were found. There is also evidence from

3696-708: The Somerset village of Cheddar ; Devon cream teas , crabs , Cornish pasties , and cider . It is home to the Eden Project , Aardman Animations , the Glastonbury Festival , the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta , trip hop music and Cornwall's surfing beaches. The region has also been home to some of Britain's most renowned writers, including Daphne du Maurier , Agatha Christie and Enid Blyton , all of whom set many of their works here, and

3808-777: The Tehuantepec Railway in Mexico for president Porfirio Diaz , Weetman Pearson learned of oil deposits in south Texas and Mexico and in 1901 began buying prospective oil lands in those places. After striking oil in Mexico in 1908, he founded the Mexican Eagle Petroleum Company in 1909 to handle all of S Pearson and Sons' oil interests. In 1919 the Royal Dutch Shell Group acquired a large share of, and management of, Mexican Eagle, and Pearson formed Whitehall Petroleum Corporation Ltd. to take over Pearson's oil interests and to prospect globally for oil. It established

3920-532: The University of Sunderland , which trains and employs graduates to teach at school level. Of the 32 approved providers, 11 are non-profit entities. Schools choose which provider to use and buy the tuition at a subsidised price. Initially, in the academic year 2020-21, the subsidy meant schools paid only one quarter of the full cost, though the government announced in early 2021 that the proportion of subsidy would increase in subsequent years, with schools paying 50% of

4032-510: The West Midlands through Gloucestershire, Bristol and Somerset to Exeter. The A38 serves as a western extension to Plymouth. There are three other smaller motorways in the region, all in the Bristol area . Passenger airports in the region include Bristol , Exeter , Newquay and Bournemouth . Within the region the local transport authorities carry out transport planning through the use of

4144-464: The south east . The British mainland was connected to the continent during the ice age and humans may have repeatedly migrated into and out of the region as the climate fluctuated. There is evidence of human habitation in the caves at Cheddar Gorge 11,000–10,000 years BC, during a partial thaw in the ice age. The earliest scientifically dated cemetery in Great Britain was found at Aveline's Hole in

4256-1018: The 1920s. Its final projects included construction of the Silent Valley Reservoir in Northern Ireland (contract awarded in 1923), and completion of the Sennar Dam , in Sudan , in 1925. In 1856 S Pearson & Son advertised itself as manufacturing sanitary tubes and bricks in Yorkshire. Manufacturing expanded beyond sanitary tubes and bricks to include a variety of items globally, including nuts and bolts, specialist glass, pottery, porcelain and fine china, and related items. Pearson acquired Allied English Potteries (including Royal Crown Derby ) in 1964 and Doulton & Co. in November 1971, whereupon it merged those two potteries companies. Pearson purchased

4368-471: The 1930s for civil defence administration and subsequently used for various statistical analyses. The region is also similar to that used in the 17th-century Rule of the Major-Generals under Cromwell . (For further information, see Historical and alternative regions of England ). By the 1960s, the South West region (including Dorset, which for some previous purposes had been included in a Southern region),

4480-510: The 5th century AD, the region split into several Brittonic kingdoms, including Dumnonia , centred around the old tribal territory of the Dumnonii . The upper Thames area soon came under Anglo-Saxon control but the remainder of the region was in British control until the 6th century. Bokerley Dyke , a large defensive ditch on Cranborne Chase dated to 367, delayed the Saxon conquest of Dorset, with

4592-460: The 9th century. Viking raids took place for instance in 987 and 997 at Watchet and the Battle of Cynwit . King Alfred was driven to seek refuge from the Danes at Athelney before defeating them in 878 at the Battle of Ethandun , usually considered to be near Edington, Wiltshire , but possibly the village of Edington in Somerset. Alfred established a series of forts and lookout posts linked by

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4704-616: The Chancellor of King Henry I , converted the bishop's hall in Taunton into Taunton Castle . It passed to the king in 1233 and in 1245 repairs were ordered to its motte and towers. During the 11th-century Second Barons' War against Henry III , Bridgwater was held by the barons against the King. During the Middle Ages sheep farming for the wool trade came to dominate the economy of Exmoor . The wool

4816-507: The Durotriges, "water dwellers", whose main settlement is represented by Maiden Castle . Ptolemy stated that Bath was in the territory of the Belgae , but this may be a mistake. The Celtic gods were worshipped at the temple of Sulis at Bath and possibly the temple on Brean Down . Iron Age sites on the Quantock Hills include major hill forts at Dowsborough and Ruborough , as well as smaller earthwork enclosures, such as Trendle Ring , Elworthy Barrows and Plainsfield Camp . At

4928-473: The Earl of Devon, Henry VII's chamberlain, Giles Daubeney, 1st Baron Daubeney and Robert Willoughby, 1st Baron Willoughby de Broke were also influential. In 1497, early in Henry VII 's reign, the royal pretender Perkin Warbeck , besieged Exeter. The Cornish Rebellion of 1497 led by An Gof and Thomas Flamank ended in a march to Blackheath in London where the Cornish forces were massacred. Great disturbances throughout both Cornwall and Devon followed

5040-410: The Elder built similarly at Barnstaple and Totnes . But sporadic Viking incursions continued until the Norman Conquest , including the disastrous defeat of the Devonians at the Battle of Pinhoe . In 876 King Alfred the Great trapped a Danish fleet at Arne and then drove it out; 120 ships were wrecked at Studland . Although King Alfred had lands in Cornwall, it continued to have a British king. It

5152-405: The English and ruler of this province of the Britons ". Thus we can see that then the "province" was a territorial possession, which has long claimed a special relationship to the English Crown. Corfe Castle in 978 saw the murder of King Edward the Martyr , whose body was taken first to Wareham and then to Shaftesbury . Somerset played an important part in stopping the spread of the Danes in

5264-468: The Humber . Pearson plc Pearson plc is a multinational corporation, headquartered in the UK, focused on educational publishing and services. Originating in 1844 and named S Pearson and Son by Samuel Pearson in 1856, what began as a small local civil engineering business in Yorkshire grew between 1880 and 1927 into a massive diversified international conglomerate under the subsequent leadership of Samuel's grandson Weetman Pearson . By

5376-473: The Mendip Hills were run by the military. The Romans established a defensive boundary along the new military road known the Fosse Way (from the Latin fossa meaning "ditch"). The Fosse Way ran through Bath , Shepton Mallet , Ilchester and south-west towards Axminster . The road from Dorchester ran through Yeovil to meet the Fosse Way at Ilchester. Salt was produced on the Somerset Levels near Highbridge and quarrying took place near Bath, named after

5488-409: The National Tutoring Programme said: Third Space Learning is an example of a provider with an innovative approach and is proving popular with English schools. While our focus may be on supporting schools in England, it is right that we look outwards and harness all the expertise we can to do this. It does not – and should not – matter where an online tutor is based. What matters most is the quality of

5600-463: The Romano-British remaining in Dorset for 200 years after the withdrawal of the Roman legions. The Western Wandsdyke earthwork was probably built during the 5th or 6th century. This area became the border between the Romano-British Celts and the West Saxons following the Battle of Deorham in 577. The Anglo-Saxons then gained control of the Cotswold area; but most of Somerset, Dorset and Devon (as well as Cornwall) remained in British hands until

5712-461: The South West is also the location of Thomas Hardy's Wessex , the setting for many of his best-known novels. Most of the region is located on the South West Peninsula , between the English Channel and Bristol Channel . It has the longest coastline of all the English regions, totalling over 700 miles (1,130 km). Much of the coast is now protected from further substantial development because of its environmental importance, which contributes to

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5824-404: The Tuition Partners route must be recruited through approved partners. In the academic year 2023-24, these partners are approved by Tribal Group. Finally, the school-led tutoring route allows schools to employ new staff directly or engage current members of staff using the funding. An investigation by The Observer found that providers are charging the government much more than was being paid to

5936-416: The UK through at least 1947. In 1921, Pearson purchased a number of local daily and weekly newspapers in the United Kingdom, which it combined to form the Westminster Press group. Following the British government's acquisition and nationalisation of several of Pearson's aviation, fuel, and energy divisions in the early 1940s due to World War II, Angela Murray became a director of the Pearson group and

6048-413: The UK, and in 2004 acquired about 80% stake in Meximerica Media Inc for the swelling U.S. Hispanic market. Pearson purchased a series of other testing and assessment businesses, including Knowledge Technologies in 2004, AGS in 2005, and Promissor in 2006. It acquired National Evaluation Systems, a provider of customised state assessments for teacher certification in the US, in 2006 and acquired eCollege,

6160-411: The United Kingdom. Three major roads enter the region from the east. The M4 motorway from London to South Wales via Bristol is the busiest. The A303 cuts through the centre of the region from Salisbury to Honiton , where it merges with the A30 to continue past Exeter to the west of Cornwall. The A31 , an extension of the M27 , serves Poole and Bournemouth and the Dorset coast. The M5 runs from

6272-399: The West Midlands, though almost all intercity trains operated by GWR run through the region. Transport for Wales also operates services between Maesteg and Cheltenham Spa . West Midlands Railway operated a parliamentary train between Birmingham New Street and Gloucester via Worcester Shrub Hill , which was withdrawn in 2019 (there was once a regular service on the route, but this

6384-416: The area sometimes called Greater Bristol , which includes parts of South Gloucestershire ; and the South East Dorset conurbation , covering Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch . The population of the South West in 2009 was about five million. The region lies on several main line railways . The Great Western Main Line runs from London Paddington to Bristol , Exeter , Plymouth , and Penzance in

6496-476: The area. The highest point of the region is High Willhays , at 2,038 feet (621 m), on Dartmoor . In North Devon the slates of the west and limestones of the east meet at Exmoor National Park. The variety of rocks of similar ages seen has led to the county's name being given to that of the Devonian period. The east of the region is characterised by wide, flat clay vales , and chalk and limestone downland . The vales, with good irrigation, are home to

6608-492: The aviation field , purchasing an interest in Airwork Services . By 1935 Whitehall Securities had major interests in a number of British airlines and aviation companies, including Spartan Air Lines , Saunders-Roe , United Airways , and Hillman's Airways . In September 1935, Hillman's Airways, Spartan Air Lines, and United Airways merged to form British Airways Ltd. In 1936, British Airways absorbed British Continental Airways and Crilly Airways . In 1940, British Airways

6720-430: The business to London and turned it into one of the world's largest construction companies. Another of its prominent engineers was Ernest William Moir who, after working for Pearson on tunnels in New York City , became the contractor's agent on construction of the Blackwall Tunnel under the River Thames in London between 1892 and 1897. Between 1880 and 1902 the company also built the Admiralty Harbour at Dover ,

6832-431: The chair of the Westminster Press in 1953. The Press owned local newspapers including the Oxford Mail , The Northern Echo and the Brighton Evening News with the backing of the Westmnster Press they were encouraged to find local news. Pearson entered the education market. In 1957, it bought the Financial Times and acquired a 50% stake in The Economist . It purchased the publisher Longman in 1968. Pearson

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6944-465: The coast. Snowfalls are more frequent in comparison to the coast, but less so in comparison to higher ground. It experiences the lowest wind speeds and sunshine total in between that of the coast and the moors. The climate of inland areas is more noticeable the further north-east into the region. In comparison to inland areas, the coast experiences high minimum temperatures, especially in winter, and it experiences slightly lower maximum temperatures during

7056-401: The cost in the 2022–23 academic year and 90% the year after that. In May 2023, the 25% subsidy for the academic year 2023-24 was amended to a 50% subsidy. As of the academic years 2022-23 and 2023-24, there are three routes to subsidised tuition under the umbrella of the NTP: Academic mentors are tutors specifically recruited by the NTP's partner, Cognition Education. Tutors employed through

7168-676: The county of Cornwall on a widespread scale. The region is home to six universities: University of Bristol, University of The West of England (UWE), University of Exeter, University of Plymouth, Plymouth Marjon University, University of Gloucestershire (Gloucester and Cheltenham), and Falmouth University (Cornwall). The largest cities and towns in order of population are: Bristol (700,000) Plymouth (300,000) Bournemouth (250,000) Swindon (230,000) Poole (180,000) Gloucester (180,000) Exeter (160,000) Cheltenham (150,000) Torbay (150,000) Bath (130,000) Weston-super-Mare (80,000) Taunton (70,000) Salisbury (50,000) Weymouth (50,000). The largest conurbations are

7280-490: The east seems to have been halted by battles between the British and Saxons, for example at the siege of Badon Mons Badonicus (which may have been in the Bath district, perhaps at Solsbury Hill ), or Bathampton Down . The Battle of Bedwyn was fought in 675 between Escuin , a West Saxon nobleman who had seized the throne of Queen Saxburga , and King Wulfhere of Mercia . The earliest fortification of Taunton started for King Ine of Wessex and Æthelburg , in or about

7392-406: The education division of Simon & Schuster , which included Prentice Hall , Allyn & Bacon , and parts of Macmillan Inc. including the Macmillan name. Later in 1998 it merged Simon & Schuster's educational business with Addison Wesley Longman to form Pearson Education . Pearson sold and divested most of its Simon & Schuster divisions in 1999. In March 2000 Pearson acquired

7504-631: The electrification market in 1900, when Weetman Pearson was requested to electrify Mexico's tramway system, and then the general electrical supply in the city of Vera Cruz and elsewhere. This process was repeated in Chile. These electrical interests were consolidated into Whitehall Electric Investments Ltd. in 1922. In 1929 the electricity businesses in Mexico and Chile were sold, but similar electricity utilities were developed in southwestern England until they were nationalised in 1948. All of Pearson's overseas electricity utility businesses, which had spread to Greece, were closed by 1960. While building

7616-435: The end of the ice age; however, it is unclear whether the region was continuously inhabited during the previous 4000 years, or if humans returned to the gorge after a final cold spell. A Palaeolithic flint tool found in West Sedgemoor is the earliest indication of human presence on the Somerset Levels. During the 7th millennium BC the sea level rose and flooded the valleys, so the Mesolithic people occupied seasonal camps on

7728-490: The eve of the Black Death of 1348–49. The plague resulted in a prolonged pause in the growth of Bristol's population, with numbers remaining at 10,000–12,000 through most of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Wars of the Roses , there were frequent skirmishes between the Lancastrian Thomas Courtenay, Earl of Devon and Yorkist William, Lord Bonville . In 1470, Edward IV pursued Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick and George, Duke of Clarence as far as Exeter after

7840-400: The far west of Cornwall. The South West Main Line runs from London Waterloo and Southampton to Bournemouth , Poole and Weymouth in Dorset. The West of England Main Line runs from London Waterloo to Exeter via south Wiltshire, north Dorset and south Somerset. The Wessex Main Line runs from Bristol to Salisbury and on to Southampton. The Heart of Wessex Line runs from Bristol in

7952-408: The founder of Goldcrest Films , John Eberts, and chaired by James Lee, chief executive of Pearson Longman. At its inception, the new concern owned 40% of Goldcrest Films. In 1986, Pearson invested in the British Satellite Broadcasting consortium, which a few years later merged with Sky Television to form a new company, British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB). During the 1990s, the company acquired

8064-496: The government of the western counties of England. It was analogous in form to the Council of the North . The council was established in March 1539, with Lord Russell as its Lord President. Members included Thomas Derby, Sir Piers Edgcumbe, Sir Richard Pollard and John Rowe. However, the fall of Thomas Cromwell , the chief political supporter of government by Councils, and the tranquillity of

8176-572: The growing sway of the Norsemen . Eventually England came to be ruled by Norse monarchs, and the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms fell one by one, Wessex being conquered in 1013 by King Sweyn Forkbeard . Sweyn's realms included Denmark and Norway , and parts of England such as Mercia (an Anglian kingdom roughly coinciding with the English Midlands ), much of which, along with northern England, fell under

8288-535: The higher ground, indicated by scatters of flints. The Neolithic people continued to exploit the reed swamps for their natural resources and started to construct wooden trackways. These included the Post Track and the Sweet Track . The Sweet Track, dating from the 39th century BC, is thought to be the world's oldest timber trackway and was once thought to be the world's oldest engineered roadway. The Levels were also

8400-572: The illustrated reference publisher Dorling Kindersley and integrated it within Penguin. It acquired National Computer Systems (NCS) in September 2000, entering the educational assessment and school management systems market in the United States. In 2002, Pearson purchased Rough Guides , the travel publisher, and brought it under Penguin. In 2003 it acquired Edexcel , a provider of qualifications in

8512-469: The introduction of Edward VI 's Book of Common Prayer . The day after Whit Sunday 1549, a priest at Sampford Courtenay was persuaded to read the old mass . This insubordination spread swiftly into serious revolt. The Cornish quickly joined the men of Devon in the Prayer Book Rebellion and Exeter was besieged until relieved by Lord Russell. The Cornish had a particular motivation for opposing

8624-787: The late 7th century. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , the Saxon Cenwalh achieved a breakthrough against the British Celtic tribes, with victories at Bradford-on-Avon (in the Avon Gap in the Wansdyke) in 652, and further south at the Battle of Peonnum (at Penselwood ) in 658, followed by an advance west through the Polden Hills to the River Parrett . The Saxon advance from

8736-521: The leadership of CEO Marjorie Scardino , in 1998 the company formed Pearson Education , and by 2016 education was Pearson plc's exclusive focus. As of 2023 Pearson Education, known since 2011 as simply Pearson, is Pearson plc's main subsidiary. Pearson owns one of the GCSE examining boards for the UK, Edexcel . Pearson plc has a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of

8848-676: The location of the Glastonbury Lake Village as well as two lake villages at Meare . Stonehenge , Avebury and Stanton Drew are perhaps the most famous Neolithic sites in the UK. The region was heavily populated during the Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age periods. Many monuments, barrows and trackways exist. Coin evidence shows that the region was split between the Durotriges , Dobunni and Dumnonii . The Iron Age tribe in Dorset were

8960-699: The new English language prayer book, as there were still many monoglot Cornish speakers in West Cornwall. The Cornish language declined rapidly afterwards and the Dissolution of the Monasteries resulted in the eventual loss of the Cornish language as a primary language. By the end of the 18th century it was no longer a first language. The Council of the West was a short-lived administrative body established by Henry VIII for

9072-487: The north of the region to Weymouth on the south Dorset coast via Westbury , Castle Cary and Yeovil , with most services starting at Gloucester . The vast majority of trains in the region are operated by CrossCountry , Great Western Railway (GWR) and South Western Railway (SWR). GWR is the key operator for all counties in the region except Dorset where SWR is the key operator. CrossCountry operates services to Manchester Piccadilly , Glasgow and Aberdeen . Dorset

9184-440: The peninsula where the status of being from the region is less equivocal. In particular, Cornwall 's inclusion in the region is disputed by Cornish nationalists. The cross-party Cornish Constitutional Convention and Cornish nationalist party Mebyon Kernow have campaigned for a Cornish Assembly ever since the idea of regional devolution was put forward. The South West region is largely rural, with small towns and villages;

9296-574: The period, including the remains at Bath. The area of Somerset was part of the Roman Empire from AD 47 to about AD 409. The empire disintegrated gradually, and elements of Romanitas lingered on for perhaps a century. In AD 47, Somerset was invaded from the south-east by the Second Legion Augusta , under the future emperor Vespasian . The hillforts of the Durotriges at Ham Hill and Cadbury Castle were captured. Ham Hill probably had

9408-483: The providers, Third Space Learning (TSL), used Sri Lankan undergraduates as tutors, whose minimum age requirement was 17. TSL is one of the most-used providers in the scheme, providing tuition to 800 schools. TSL had claimed that its tutors were all STEM graduates, but its recruitment process required applicants to be "skilled in maths and English" and to pass an online test. Their tutors were paid an average of £3.07 an hour (a minimum of £1.57 per hour). In response to

9520-504: The region have some level of a "South West" or "West Country" regional identity, although this may not necessarily correspond to an identification with the official government-defined region . It is common for people in the region to identify at a national level (whether English , British , Cornish or a county, city or town level). Identifying as being from 'the Westcountry', amorphous though it is, tends to be more predominant further into

9632-500: The region's attractiveness to tourists and residents. Geologically the region is divided into the largely igneous and metamorphic west and sedimentary east, the dividing line slightly to the west of the River Exe . Cornwall and West Devon's landscape is of rocky coastline and high moorland, notably at Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor . These are due to the granite and slate that underlie

9744-569: The region's dairy agriculture. The Blackmore Vale was Thomas Hardy 's "Vale of the Little Dairies"; another, the Somerset Levels was created by reclaiming wetlands. The Southern England Chalk Formation extends into the region, creating a series of high, sparsely populated and archaeologically rich downs, most famously Salisbury Plain , but also Cranborne Chase , the Dorset Downs and

9856-434: The region. Bristol , South Gloucestershire , and Bath and North East Somerset are part of the West of England Combined Authority . The region is known for its rich folklore , including the legend of King Arthur and Glastonbury Tor , as well as its traditions and customs. Cornwall has its own language, Cornish , and some regard it as a Celtic nation . The South West is known for Cheddar cheese , which originated in

9968-420: The rest of the southwest (approximately twice as much rainfall as lowland areas), because of their high altitude. Both of these factors also cause it to experience the highest levels of snowfall and the lowest levels of sunshine. Exposed areas of the moors are windier than lowlands and can be almost as windy as the coast. The boundaries of the South West region are based upon those devised by central government in

10080-418: The revelations, TSL clarified that all tutors were graduates or undergraduates, with credentials required as part of the recruitment process. The average age of Third Space Learning tutors was 24. 3 out of 1,000 tutors were 17 year old undergraduates who were taken off the programme. They also clarified that the minimum payment of £1.57 was for sessions which were unattended or cancelled and average pay for tutors

10192-603: The sale of its Pearson Data Management Division (formerly the scanner manufacturing and servicing division of NCS Inc.) to Scantron Corporation (part of M&F Worldwide ) which had been its main competitor. In 2010, Pearson acquired the adult English training service Wall Street Institute and the school learning systems division of Sistema Educacional Brasileiro (SEB). Also in 2010, the company sold its 61% stake in Interactive Data to investment funds managed by Silver Lake Partners and Warburg Pincus . Pearson Education

10304-462: The sea level rose, resulting in major coastal changes. The Somerset Levels were flooded, but the dry points such as Glastonbury and Brent Knoll are known to have been occupied by Mesolithic hunters. The landscape at this time was tundra . Britain's oldest complete skeleton, Cheddar Man , lived at Cheddar Gorge around 7150 BC (in the Upper Palaeolithic or Old Stone Age), shortly after

10416-481: The south-west. It is the second windiest area of the United Kingdom, the majority of winds coming from the south-west and north-east. Government organisations predict the region to rise in temperature and become the hottest region in the United Kingdom. Inland areas of low altitude experience the least amount of precipitation. They experience the highest summer maxima temperatures, but winter minima are colder than

10528-407: The summer. Rainfall is the lowest at the coast and snowfall is rarer than the rest of the region. Coastal areas are the windiest parts of the peninsula and they receive the most sunshine. The general coastal climate is more typical the further south-west into the region. Areas of moorland inland such as: Bodmin Moor , Dartmoor and Exmoor experience lower temperatures and more precipitation than

10640-664: The support that they can give children and young people. There is a wide variation in enrolment in the scheme across the UK. The target is to reach 6,000 schools across the nine UK regions. The scheme has reached 100% of its target number of schools enrolled in the South-West and 96.1% in the South-East , compared to 59.3% in the North-West , 58.8% in the North-East , and 58.9% in Yorkshire and

10752-500: The time of World War II, the company had major national and international subsidiaries in manufacturing, electricity, oil, coal, banking and financial services, publishing (periodicals and books), and aviation. After the Second World War and the British government's nationalisation of many industries, Pearson refocused on publishing and media. In 1984 the company changed its name from S. Pearson & Son plc to Pearson plc . Under

10864-517: The time of the Roman invasion , the inhabitants of the entire area spoke a Brythonic Celtic language. Its descendant languages are still spoken to a greater or lesser extent in Cornwall , Wales, and Brittany . During the Roman era , the east of the region, particularly the Cotswolds and eastern Somerset, was heavily Romanised but Devon and Cornwall were much less so, though Exeter was a regional capital. There are villas, farms and temples dating from

10976-411: The tutors. One such provider was being paid up to £ 84 per hour, while its least experienced tutoring jobs were advertised at £15 per hour. Another provider pays tutors between 20 and 30 pounds per hour of tuition, while charging 80 per hour. The NTP defended the sums paid to providers, saying that the money not paid to tutors funds training, quality assurance, technology, and administration. The leader of

11088-499: The two overseas branches. In 1999, due to the company's refocus on education, publishing, and media, Pearson sold its Lazard holdings for £410 million. Following Wheetman Pearson's 1907 creation of Whitehall Securities as its holding company for all of Pearson's non-contracting industries, beginning in 1921 Pearson partnered with Dorman Long to form a coal-mining conglomerate in 1922, called Pearson & Dorman Long Ltd. The company purchased and operated many collieries in

11200-549: The west of the region, but these were small compared with the established wealth of ancient cathedral cities in the east of the region such as Exeter , Bath and Wells . Wealth grew from sheep farming in the east of the region: church controlled estates such as Glastonbury Abbey and Wells became among the richest in England, while tin and silver mining was important in Devon and Cornwall; Stannary Parliaments with semi-autonomous powers were established. Farming prospered until it

11312-532: The year 710. However, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle this was destroyed 12 years later. Alfred the Great refortified Exeter as a defensive burh , followed by new erections at Lydford , Halwell and Pilton , although these fortifications were small compared to burhs further east, suggesting that they were protection for the elite only. The English defeated a combined Cornish and Danish force at Hingston Down (near Gunnislake) in 838. Edward

11424-484: Was 2.5 times the local graduate salary, or 15 times minimum wage. Mary Bousted , joint general secretary of the National Education Union , said: [T]here’s a question about whether it's ethical to be paying £1.57 to £3.07 an hour, outsourcing in this way. It also raises a bigger issue about why this money is being paid to the private sector whose objective in life must be to make a profit. A spokesperson for

11536-449: Was an important port, handling much of England's trade with Ireland. During this period Bristol also became a centre of shipbuilding and manufacturing. Bristol was the starting point for many important voyages, notably John Cabot 's 1497 voyage of exploration to North America. By the 14th century Bristol was one of England's three largest medieval towns after London, along with York and Norwich , with perhaps 15,000–20,000 inhabitants on

11648-480: Was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1969. It bought the paperback publisher Penguin in 1970, and the children's imprint Ladybird Books in 1972. It bought a rival, the educational publisher Pitman Ltd , in 1985. In 1996 Pearson sold Westminster Press to Newsquest , acquired the education division of HarperCollins from News Corporation , and acquired book publishers Scott Foresman & Co. . In 1929, Pearson's Whitehall Securities entered

11760-539: Was for the NTP. The Department for Education announced that the academic year 2023-24 would be the final year of the National Tutoring programme. The DfE signalled its intention to support tutoring in the long term, but the current form this will take is unknown. The scheme has published a list of approved providers, including private companies such as Pearson plc and Randstad Education as well as public bodies including

11872-510: Was nationalised due to World War II. In 1937 the company acquired Northern & Scottish Airways and Highland Airways , and merged them into a new company, Scottish Airways . This airline was nationalised by the British government in 1947 and merged into British European Airways . Pearson's aviation interests ended by 1959, when Saunders-Roe was sold to Westland Aircraft . in 1981 Pearson's publishing subsidiary Pearson Longman established Goldcrest Films and Television in 1981, led by

11984-660: Was rebranded as simply Pearson in 2011. South West England South West England , or the South West of England , is one of the nine official regions of England in the United Kingdom . It consists of the counties of Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly ), Dorset , Devon , Bristol , Gloucestershire , Somerset and Wiltshire . Cities and large towns in the region include Bath , Bristol , Bournemouth , Cheltenham , Exeter , Gloucester , Plymouth and Swindon . It

12096-706: Was severely hit by the Black Death which arrived in Dorset in 1348 and quickly spread through Somerset, causing widespread death, with mortality rates perhaps as high as 50% in places. The resulting labour shortage led to changes in feudal practices. Crafts and industries also flourished; the Somerset woollen industry was then one of the largest in England. Coal mining in the Mendips was an important source of wealth while quarrying also took place. Many parish churches were rebuilt in this period. Between 1107 and 1129 William Giffard ,

12208-563: Was sold off in 1818. Where conditions were suitable, coastal villages and ports had an economy based on fishing. The larger ports such as Fowey contributed vessels to the naval enterprises of the King and were subject to attack from the French in return. Bridgwater was part of the Port of Bristol until the Port of Bridgwater was created in 1348, covering 80 miles (130 km) of the Somerset coast line, from

12320-465: Was spun into thread on isolated farms and collected by merchants to be woven, fulled, dyed and finished in thriving towns such as Dunster . The land started to be enclosed and from the 17th century onwards larger estates developed, leading to establishment of areas of large regular shaped fields. During this period a royal forest and hunting ground was established, administered by the Warden. The royal forest

12432-403: Was widely recognised for government administration and statistics. The boundaries were carried forward into the 1990s when regional administrations were formally established as Government Office Regions. A regional assembly and regional development agency were created in 1999, then abolished in 2008 and 2012 respectively. It has been argued that the official South West region does not possess

12544-576: Was withdrawn in 2009). It has been proposed that the former London & South Western Railway Exeter to Plymouth railway be reopened to connect Cornwall and Plymouth as an alternative to the route via the Dawlish seawall that is susceptible to closure in bad weather. Local bus services are primarily operated by FirstGroup , Go-Ahead Group and Stagecoach subsidiaries as well as independent operators. Megabus and National Express operate long-distance services from South West England to all parts of

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