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Since the 1940s, immigrants and their descendants have integrated into communities across the UK. In so doing they have helped to shape the identity of Britain and changed the concept of 'Britishness' in today's society.

Net migration has continued to rise, reaching 300,000 in 2015. However less than 25 per cent of the workforce were immigrants and in 2011 just over 12 per cent of the population of the UK were foreign born. Just as previous migrant groups - Flemish, Huguenot, Jewish, Irish, Italian – have mixed over time into the wider population, a similar process has happened with more recent migrants in many parts of the UK, especially London.

Although inequalities in employment still exist today and disproportionately large numbers of adults from ethnic minorities are unemployed or in low paid jobs, most occupations are far more culturally diverse than they have been in the past. Whilst black children were underachieving the most in schools at the end of the 20th century, by 2013 white working-class children were the lowest achievers according to Ofsted annual reports.

The 2000 and 2001 riots between white and Asian young people in Oldham, Burnley and Bradford indicated how segregated parts of Britain were. Negative stories about immigrants regularly appeared in the popular press, frequently leading many to believe that numbers were higher than they actually were. Nevertheless, a 2014 report by the Economical and Social Research Council concluded that most people are positive about British society and their own cultural identity.

Revision tip

This guide has four sections. Read each section carefully and write down one topic sentence that sums the section up. Follow each topic sentence with two examples to support the point being made.

Write a paragraph on Commonwealth immigration to the UK for each of the following headings:

• reasons for migrating
• experiences in the UK
• impact on Britain