British Council facts for kids

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British Council

Founded	1934; 91 years ago (1934)
Founder	British government
Type	Cultural institution
Headquarters	1 Redman Place, Stratford, London E20 1JQ, England, United Kingdom
Area served	Worldwide
Product	British cultural and language education
Key people	Paul Thompson (Chair) Scott McDonald (Chief Executive)
Revenue (2020–21)	£924,965,472
Expenses (2020–21)	£1,015,114,434
Website	www.britishcouncil.org

British Council Delhi launch of Mix The City Delhi, 6 April 2017

British Council building in Hong Kong

The British Council is a UK organisation that helps people around the world learn about British culture and education. It works in over 100 countries. Its main goals are to teach the English language (and sometimes the Welsh language in Argentina), share British culture, and encourage countries to work together in education, science, and technology.

The British Council is a special type of charity. It is supported by the UK government's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Its main office is in Stratford, London. The current leader is Paul Thompson, who is the Chair, and Scott McDonald, who is the Chief Executive.

How the British Council Started

The British Council has a long and interesting history:

1934: Officials from the British government created a group to help teach English abroad and share British culture. They first called it the "British Committee for Relations with Other Countries."
1936: The name was officially shortened to the British Council.
1938: The British Council opened its first offices in other countries. These were in Bucharest (Romania), Cairo (Egypt), Lisbon (Portugal), and Warsaw (Poland). The offices in Portugal are still open today, making them the oldest ones.
1940: King George VI gave the British Council a special document called a Royal Charter. This document officially gave the British Council the job of spreading knowledge about the UK and the English language, and building stronger cultural ties with other countries.
1942: The British Council started a big project to promote British culture, especially music. They recorded famous pieces by British composers to share with the world.

British Council building in Madrid, Spain

1944: After Paris was freed during World War II, the British Council quickly reopened its office there. They brought famous theatre groups and writers to perform and speak.
1946: The British Council put together an exhibition of traditional British crafts. This collection travelled to Australia and New Zealand to show off British skills.
1948: A famous theatre group, the Old Vic Theatre Company, went on a tour of Australia and New Zealand. The tour starred well-known actors like Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. They performed for over 300,000 people!
2007: There were some challenges in Russia, and the British Council had to close some of its offices there for a while.
2011: The British Council office in Kabul, Afghanistan, was attacked. Sadly, some people lost their lives, but no British staff were harmed. The office later moved to a safer location within the British Embassy.
2013: An attempted attack happened near the British Council office in Tripoli, Libya. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt at the British Council.

How the British Council Works

The British Council is a charity that works to build connections between the UK and other countries. It is supported by the UK government. Its main office is in Stratford, London.

The British Council works in over 100 countries. It aims to:

Help people learn more about the UK and the English language.
Encourage cooperation in education, science, and culture.
Give people access to UK education, skills, and culture.
Connect important people from other countries with the UK's culture and opportunities.

What the British Council Does

English Language and Exams

The British Council helps millions of people learn English.

They have teaching centres in more than 50 countries where people can learn English face-to-face.
They help over three million people take UK exams each year in many cities around the world.

The British Council helps to run the global IELTS English test

The British Council also helps run the global IELTS English language test. This test is used by people who want to study or work in English-speaking countries.

Online Learning

In 2014, the British Council started its first free online course, called "Exploring English: Language and Culture." Over 230,000 people joined this course to improve their English.

English for Peacekeepers

The British Council has a special project called "Peacekeeping English." It helps military and police personnel in different countries improve their English skills. This helps them work better together in peacekeeping missions.

Study Abroad Programmes

Education UK

The British Council runs a website called Education UK. This website helps international students find information about studying in the UK. It lists courses, scholarships, and gives advice about living in the UK.

Erasmus+

From 2014 to 2020, the British Council helped manage the Erasmus+ programme in the UK. This programme gave young people opportunities to study, train, or volunteer abroad.

Connecting Schools

The British Council has a programme called "Connecting Classrooms." This programme helps schools in different countries work together. Over 16,000 schools have joined this programme, and many teachers have received special training.

Arts and Culture

The British Council uses arts and culture to connect people.

ACCELERATE

ACCELERATE was a programme that helped talented Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and creative people in Australia develop their leadership skills. It ran from 2009 to 2016.

UK-India Year of Culture

UK-India Year of Culture official launch image on the façade of Buckingham Palace

In 2017, the British Council helped celebrate the UK-India Year of Culture. A special event was held at Buckingham Palace, where a peacock, India's national bird, was projected onto the palace walls.

fiveFilms4freedom

Since 2015, the British Council has hosted fiveFilms4freedom. This is a free online film festival that shows LGBT films. It's the first global online festival of its kind and helps spread the message that love is a human right. Millions of people in many countries have watched these films.

Shakespeare Lives

In 2015, the British Council launched a global programme called "Shakespeare Lives." This celebrated the life and work of William Shakespeare on the 400th anniversary of his death. They worked with many famous UK arts organisations.

Selector Radio

Selector Radio is a weekly radio show produced for the British Council. It plays a wide range of UK music, from grime to indie to dance. The show features interviews with artists and live performances. It's broadcast in over 30 countries and helps a global audience discover new UK music.

Cultural Exchange with North Korea

The British Council has been running a teacher training programme in North Korea since 2001. They also signed an agreement in 2014 to encourage cultural and educational exchange with the country.

Other Activities

Young Creative Entrepreneur Awards

The British Council also runs awards for young creative entrepreneurs. These awards recognise and support talented people in creative fields like publishing, design, and music.

Leaders of the British Council

Many important people have led the British Council over the years. Here are some of the Chairs:

1934–37 Lord Tyrrell
1937–41 Lord Lloyd
1941–45 Sir Malcolm Robertson
1946–55 Sir Ronald Adam
1955–59 Sir David Kelly
1959–67 Lord Bridges
1968–71 Lord Fulton
1971–72 Sir Leslie Rowan
1972–76 Lord Ballantrae
1977–84 Sir Charles Troughton
1985–92 Sir David Orr
1992–98 Sir Martin Jacomb
1998–2004 Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws
2004–09 Lord Kinnock
2010–16 Sir Vernon Ellis
2016–19 Christopher Rodrigues
2019–23 Stevie Spring
2024–present Paul Thompson

Locations Around the World

The British Council has offices in many countries, divided into seven main regions:

Americas

Argentina
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Cuba
Jamaica
Mexico
Peru
Trinidad and Tobago
Uruguay
USA
Venezuela

East Asia-Pacific

Australia
Brunei
Cambodia
China
Hong Kong
Indonesia
Japan
South Korea
Malaysia
Myanmar
New Zealand
Philippines
Singapore
Taiwan
Thailand
Vietnam

Europe

Albania
Austria
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Malta
Montenegro
Netherlands
North Macedonia
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Serbia
Slovenia
Slovakia
Spain
Switzerland
Ukraine
United Kingdom

West Asia and North Africa

Armenia
Azerbaijan
Egypt
Algeria
Bahrain
Georgia
Iraq
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Libya
Kazakhstan
Morocco
Oman
Palestine
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Syria
Tunisia
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
Uzbekistan
Yemen

South Asia

Bangladesh
India
Nepal
Pakistan
Sri Lanka

Sub-Saharan Africa

Botswana
Cameroon
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Ghana
Kenya
Malawi
Mauritius
Mozambique
Namibia
Nigeria
Senegal
Sierra Leone
South Africa
South Sudan
Sudan
Tanzania
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Rwanda
Uganda