Cultural differences Scotland and England

[CauleyMacGlochlin]

So surprised to see on a recent thread that in England secondary school pupils are often not allowed out of school for lunch until 6th form, which Google tells me means 16-18. I'm gobsmacked. I've never heard of anything like this in Scotland and I've lived all over the country (grew up in Glasgow and moved around in adulthood)

I also recently discovered that English school pupils can't leave education at 16. They have to stay in education til 18 unless they have an apprenticeship.

Got me thinking about cultural differences between the countries that I've maybe been oblivious all this time. Any others?

You need your taste buds checking. First the tableaux and now the noogahr. Madness.

Thats in Scotland too

I'm pretty sure that nougat on its own is usually pronounced "nooget" here. It's specifically the ice cream that's called a single or double nugget. Do they serve those outwith Scotland?

https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/09/millennials-snp-sunday-trading-laws-problem-independence

It was to do with workers rights not feign protected in the English law compared to the Scottish one …. But at the time it did feel spiteful!

Probably, my DCs are in S6 and S3.. My NDN walks his primary aged DC to school and I know they are quite happy letting them “play out”, go to the park without adults etc other times.

I was at primary school in the 70s and 80s and we would have trotted down the hill to the shop on our own after school.

An Oyster is different from a nugget. Oysters are round and Nuggets are rectangle both filled with ice cream.
Nougat is a chewy sweet with nuts and honey etc.

North Lanarkshire in Scotland and really want a Nugget now.

I'm English but lived in Scotland for 14 years now.
Would say differences are mostly word based or food related.
I found macaroni cheese pies very strange when I first moved!
Every soft drink which isn't water being called juice - fizzy juice, juice and diluting juice!
Bins being called buckets (still don't get that one it's longer to say bucket!)

Cultural differences would say the English love/obsession with having a roast on a Sunday definitely isn't replicated up here.
Christenings aren't as common up here (highlands and Islands aside)- probably because schools are allocated due to catchment and no need to show being christened for school applications!

I don’t see this on menus in Edinburgh but I did in Fife not that long ago. Had a nostaglic
moment.

In the South East England I've never experienced anyone putting money in my baby's pram (shame) and yes we have the skin on the fish.

Talking of "nougat" reminds me of the Modern Homes exhibition they used to have in the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow in the 70s. There was always a stand with huge slabs of what was called nougat and it was all different flavours. I'm not sure now what it actually was.

I love plain bread but no one else does so I get a loaf (or 2) and keep them in the freezer and treat myself to a couple of slices toasted every so often with real butter on it.

We have different exams and start / finish the school year at different times. It does frustrate me how ignorant many English are of the other nations, especially our education systems.

Apprenticeships are devolved and some apprenticeships available in England aren't available here and vice versa - so my England based boss who thinks he's helpful by suggesting I do a 'free' apprenticeship through my work doesn't realise that its free levy funding for my English colleague, but for me, you have to pay for it. So, guess who is getting to do an apprenticeship and who isn't?

You go to your local school. If you want to go somewhere else, you put a placement request in. You don't have to apply for numerous schools and hope one will give your kid a place.

A fish supper is more likely to be a haddock supper in Scotland than in England (always cod).

We have square sausage and eat it in a roll like a burger.

Jam/cream on a scone in England. Up here, at least where I am, its butter.

Steak and Kidney pie.....fuck that.

It doesn't take 5 minutes to get from Edinburgh to Glasgow or vice versa 🙄

Saying 'outwith' and 'the big light'.

I’m in Scotland. At my kids primary school the playground was open and the kids were supervised at playtime’s and lunchtimes but the school building was locked so you had to buzz to be let in. When my youngest was in p3 the school moved to a purpose built campus for nursery through to secondary. That primary has a locked playground and again you have to be buzzed into the building to get into both the primary and secondary. For primary I think most children walked to and from school themselves probably from about p4.

The secondary school pupils are allowed to leave school at lunchtimes. I don’t think any of the secondaries in my city stop their pupils leaving school at lunchtime. The school my girls went to didn’t allow you to leave school during a free period, and it was only 5th and 6th years that got them, but I know that other schools in our city do allow them to leave.

We live in the east of Scotland where I’m from and my husband is from the west coast.

We both say nugget.

He grew up watching Glen Michael’s cavalcade, I didn’t as I had ITV and he had STV.

I vaguely remember there being orange walks when I was a child, certainly not many but there haven’t been any in my city for many many years. Where my husband grew up there were orange walks, he thinks possibly every other week, there were lots of them anyway and they went right past his house.

We also say the big light, juice for any fizzy drink, diluting juice for orange squash and I use the word outwith quite often. We also go through to Edinburgh or Glasgow.

For the people saying skin on fish and chips is not an English thing. I had fish and chips in London on Friday from a chippy and it came with skin. Never had chippy fish and chips in England without skin… but then I always order haddock (the far superior fish.)

We'd say 'watch out!'

@123dogdog my secondary school also has no uniform but this was really uncommon….suburb beginning with W by any chance?

Yes, although I moved to Glasgow a few years ago.

Howling that most mumsnetters fear being outed by their DH’s ultra exclusive, middle class hobbies and we’ve been outed by orange walks 😂

It's bonkers - my kids school they won't let them walk home alone before Y5. In theory they don't let them walk to school alone before that either!

waves to @weebarra

The salary is SO much better too for careers advisers in Scotland and the careers guidance is consistent from school to school.

In England, school careers guidance is hit and miss, delivered by pretty much anyone, and the only decent career guidance is found in universities, but many universities are reducing their careers services too.

When I go to Glasgow I say I'm going into toon. Mainly as I can see the st enoch centre from my flat. We go through to Edinburgh.

I remember Glen Michael coming to my primary school in about 1992. Also I always got my birthday read out on his show as my papa worked for STV and when I was born Mrs Mack from take the high road gave my mum a real fur Teddy dyed pink.

I was also meant to be in take the high road but I was 18 months old and wouldn't call another woman mum. And I was stv mascot when I was about 2/3. Unfortunately no pics and I contacted stv and they didn't have any either.

@motheronthedancefloor why does it annoy you about not knowing the education system?! People know what they experience. Most of my scottish friends were unaware of how A levels worked or GCSE number or marking system. It's not being ignorant just not knowing a different system. Are you aware of the Northern Irish school system or that in Wales all children learn Welsh?

Haha! I really want to know how old you are now to see if I know you!

I've moved away as well. I'm just outside Glasgow now.

The Catholic and non denominational school divide is very apparent in Glasgow and surrounding areas. Its my understanding that wherever you live in these areas you will have the choice of a Catholic or non dom school. As far as im aware, you might get the odd Catholic school else where but i grew up in East Lothian and there are no Catholic schools high schools there. Iv just googled primaries and there are actually a couple of catholic primaries in the poorer towns in the county. I think it must be something left over in the old mining towns. Where i grew up, we had a minister from every church in the town take an assembly on a monthly rotation. I had no idea what my peers believed, it never crossed my mind.

I hate square sausage too, have never had one made with what takes like decent quality meat. Any recommendation gratefully received. I don’t do “mystery meat”.

@pitterypattery00
We live in Moray and my husband's from Glasgow. He can't get the 'back of.... and the morn's morn is another one he can't stand. 😂