We don’t learn about the American War of Independance at our primary/secondary schools, unless you specialise at college/ uni most people won’t have the first clue about it
Brit here. We don’t actually go into that at all. It’s all Henry VIII, Dissolution of the Monasteries, and some of the Cold War in A-Level.
As dual citizen and former history student, we honestly don’t think about it much. We might make a few jokes if we happen to be around an American on that day, but no one actually cares.
The truth is that period is relatively uneventful compared to the centuries before and after it. Broadly, British history tends to be taught as Romans/Vikings/Anglo-Saxons, then the Battle of Hastings (1066), then another jump to the Tudors (1400s/1500s), then jump again to the English Civil War (1640s) and the various rulers that followed, tied up neatly with the Acts of Union in 1707. Then some talk about Jacobites, then it’s a jump to the Industrial Revolution, Napoleon, Waterloo, and suddenly you’re in the Victorian period.
Colonialism and imperialism are huge threads throughout our history, but the educational focus tends to be on countries India where Britain’s relationship was both much longer, bloodier, and more fraught. America, a relatively well-treated then-backwater that left the fold 300 years ago, is mostly relevant to our history insofar as it later became a world power, trade partner, and geopolitical ally.
Think it’s best summed up as “?♂️”
UK primary teacher here. It isn’t in the curriculum at all. There are actually very few parts of history we’re specifically required to teach – for example, we have to teach about “a civilisation over 3000 years old” which could be the Egyptians, Mayans etc but ultimately each individual school will decide what periods and events to teach.
Ultimately most UK schools tend to gloss over any periods in history where this country didn’t come off looking so good. I’ve known many people get all the way through British schooling without ever realising the UK was involved in the slave trade or ever lost a war, for example. I think that’s the main reason for the general belief of most British people that they’re so much better than all those dang foreigners…