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?

What does 'doing the messages' and 'meeting at the back of whenever' mean?

We have a living room but my English friends seem to have lounges. We have a lobby. They have a hall way. We have a cludgie. They have a downstairs loo.
I wear my dressing gown. My friend has a house coat.
Everything up here is fine: Weather, your health, your food...
Scotland being more religious, is a central belt thing. Up in the north east, it just isn't the same.

I left secondary in 2000, about half way through (98 ish?) they stopped kids going off site - largely because the nearby supermarket banned anyone in school uniform because of behaviour and shoplifting. I remember being outraged at being tarred with that brush!

Now the same school is locked up with massive gates everywhere and a high perimeter fence. Presumably the 6th formers have to ask to be let in or out or have electronic keys or something.

I call it fizzy juice.

also on the juice topic, diluting juice rather than squash. Whereas to me cordial is the posh lime stuff that’s a bit thicker than diluting juice.

i didn’t know I’m away to bed and having a long lie were Scottish.

They get buzzed in and out.

"Outwith" not being commonly used outwith Scotland.

@SummerDays2020
A buttery is the most delicious but unhealthy bakery product. Essentially lard, flour and salt. Like a flat round, stodgy croissant. That makes it sound awful but it is delicious and difficult to describe.
Best warm with butter and jam in my opinion!

@SummerDays2020
the back of , is the time between the hour and half past ie 5.20, is the back of 5.
Messages is shopping for groceries

So like a savoury lardy cake?
I'd definitely eat that.

'I'm away to do the messages' means 'I'm going to go grocery shopping'. My mum talks about the 'weekly messages' - meaning the big weekly shop.

If I said I'd meet you 'at the back of 5'. That would mean I'd meet you just after 5 o'clock.

SE England
I have a living room which is the sitting room and dining room combined. A lounge is just a sitting room. We call our downstairs loo a cloakroom. I wear a dressing gown or robe - house coat is something my mum might say.

I was at school until 98 - only the 6th formers were allowed off site at lunch. If it makes a difference - it was a grammar.

They aren’t like a lardy cake at all really! I wouldn’t know how to describe them so have attached pics 🤣

Thank you - sounds nice!

Thank you!

Great, thank you!

That's another one - I know they're not in all areas of England, but we don't have grammar schools. Also not SATS or 11+.
Doesn't mean out education system isn't awful though.
I'm a careers adviser and I'm really proud of Scotlands careers service.
Professionally qualified careers advisers available to everyone of all ages for free.
Impartial advice for pupils in every state school in the country.

I'm 52 and we were only allowed out of school from Year 11 (age 15/16, SE England). It's partly to do with safeguarding, but alai preventing the kids from causing trouble in town and bringing the school into disrepute, I think!

Irn Bru is a massive thing up here. They sell more bottles of the orange stuff than they do bottles of Coke in a year.

The alcohol 10am until 10pm rule is a bit frustrating. Although there’s often a dodgy corner shop willing to sell it under the counter. 😂

Mince and tatties, black pudding and haggis very popular and eaten for tea regularly. And so they should be, they’re bloody delicious.

I'm not a fan of Grammar schools or SATs.
We have careers advisers too, they were great with my DS.

Do you have church schools in Scotland?

School leaving ages.

In Scotland we have 2 school leaving dates, kids who were born before X date can leave in the summer but after leave at Christmas time.

When I was at school they would put on a series of short courses for Christmas leavers at school but my DD (whose 16th birthday was October) got to go to college for 6 months instead. She is someone who was miserable at school but thrived in college so stayed for longer and is now in the final year of her degree.

I went to uni after 5th year when I had not long turned 17, I know of a few kids who went to uni at 16.

We don't have 11+ exams or grammar schools. Headteachers are normally called rectors in secondary schools. We also don't seem to have the fuss about school catchment areas, almost everyone goes to their catchment school.

In England, we don't have the big range of whiskies in supermarkets, like in Scotland. I moved to Aberdeen in 1995 and was delighted that the big Tesco had a wall of whisky.

I went to Aberdeen uni and we had the choice of butteries every morning in halls. They are best scalding hot from the toaster dripping in butter and jam!

We don't have 11+ exams or grammar schools.

Most of England doesn't either!

Tablet.

That is all.