People in UK saying "high school"

[Davros]

I've noticed this term being used more and more. To me it's "Senior" or "Secondary" school. Schools with the old fashioned divisions have "Lower, Middle and Upper". Even if you follow the American usage it isn't the same as our Senior, i believe it is years 10, 11, 12 and 13. Why are people calling Senior school High school? I know, each to their own blah blah

I only put "apart from Scotland" because it became clear it was usual in Scotland, not because I already knew that when I asked the question

It might have escaped your notice but there were also quite a few non-Scottish posters pointing out that they also use the term, so that doesn't really fly.

And, thinking about it, growing up the nearest school was a High School in name, but was actually a comp and was referred to as such, along with the other comps.

Thank you Rivertam someone who gets what I was asking without getting faux offended

You’re welcome. Like I said. It’s been an interesting read, well, some of it!

Not really familiar with 'senior school' though I would understand it. Many of the secondary schools in the area where I grew up had 'high school' in the name. It's not wrong or an Americanism.

I live in Scotland. I say secondary or high school. Some people I know call high school ‘the academy’ but that’s usually because the school is called X academy.

"but was actually a comp and was referred to as such, along with the other comps."

All the secondary schools in my area were comprehensives, but none were called that. They just were, if you see what I mean.

" just because your school is/was called Blahdiblah High doesn’t mean it is a high school in the sense of being preceded by middle school"

Yes, but high school were I come from doesn't mean 'preceded by middle school'. It means the same as secondary school.

Exactly! So it’s not a high school as a type of school, it’s a secondary.

Sheesh.

"I just wondered if people say it because it sounds posher!"

How does it sound posher? Secondary sounds posher to me actually because it feels like you're using the 'more correct term'.

RiverTam was that in a grammar school area?

Excuse my ignorance but what is a GDST school?

You think we’re “faux” offended OP?

When every school holiday Scottish (and Irish) posters are sharply queried about why their children aren’t still in school/have gone back already.

When every single bloody Halloween there are a rash of threads about it being an American import?

When there are threads declaiming “Santa” as an American import at Christmas time?

When there were a million threads in 2014 wailing “but why don’t you feel British?”

It’s not entirely your fault OP, it’s just really bloody wearing.

We aren’t that far away, we have some of the UK’s best scenery, lots of interesting historical places to visit, cool cities with brilliant food and a fantastic folk culture. Given there are hardky any of us we have a looong history of interventors, engineers and technological innovation. Also some pretty great sports people.

How the hell can so many MNers be completely ignorant about Scotland and its culture?

*Exactly! So it’s not a high school as a type of school, it’s a secondary.

Sheesh.*

The point I was making earlier is that the meaning of high school has evolved to be synonymous with secondary school so the distinction you see where you refer to the ‘strict meaning’ just just doesn’t exist for many of us using the term high school. Secondary school and high school would be accepted as exact synonyms in many places, regardless of the the exact arrangements for intake in place today.

It’s a private school that’s part of the Girls Day School Trust.

Exactly! So it’s not a high school as a type of school, it’s a secondary

Nope. High school is a type of school.
We finished primary school and went to high school in Scotland, regardless of what it's called. No middle school involved.

My school, in Scotland, was and still is called Xxx high school. Before that you go to primary school. That is it. Two schools. Primary school and high school.

I am 44, live in England and went to primary, junior and high school.

Given the varying educational systems in the U.K., generally speaking, I think it’s unwise to use “UK” and “education” in the same sentence. Linked to what PinkCalluna says, there are frequent threads where posters seem oblivious to the fact that the education system is quite different here in Scotland and we get all sorts of odd comments, including troll hunting come August when our schools are back (“must be a fake thread, it’s only August, schools aren’t back yet.”) etc. It gets wearing.

I went to school in a West London borough. I started reception in 1987. My school was called St X's first and middle school it taught children from reception to year 7. Then about 1991 it became St X's primary school and it covered reception to year 6. Most of the secondaries were all called Name High School. Though there were some that were just called Name School. I don't remember any being call Name Secondary School.

PinkCalluna exposure, basically. The average English person probably has more exposure to the US education system than the Scottish system via TV series and films. The differences are rarely written about in the papers down here, with the exception of university course length. Even if you have a holiday in Scotland you’re not going to have learned much about things like the education system.

I think everything I’ve learnt comes from working with a team in Scotland for a while. It does occasionally work the other way. One of them told me she’d believed as a child that there was special type of Remeberence poppy for celebrities - they had leaves! All the poppies she saw on TV (presumably on the lapels of people in London TV studios) had leaves, whereas Scottish poppies don’t (or at least didn’t)!

"My school, in Scotland, was and still is called Xxx high school. Before that you go to primary school. That is it. Two schools. Primary school and high school."

Same where I grew up in north Wales (although some big primaries were divided into infants and junior schools as well).

I give up. I understand the OP perfectly. I understand the system in Scotland is different. I also understand that many English high schools are not what I (or the OP) would class as a high school (starting in year 9) but are in fact a secondary school, starting in year 7 (I also understand witch’s system about some high schools starting in both Y7 and Y8 but that doesn’t seem the norm). I understand that most secondary schools are not called X Secondary school, but that doesn’t stop them from being secondary schools. I understand that the OP is about the system, not the name.

And i understand that lots of posters are not able to grasp that point.

And for what it’s worth, I didn’t go to either a secondary or a high school but I could understand the OP’s question!

I hate Reememberance poppies with leaves. I always remove the leaf. I did not know that was an English thing. It is a crap thing.

First, middle and secondary school here.