Reasons to move to Glasgow (from England)

[Marmaladegin]

DH has been offered a job in Glasgow. We currently live in a naice area in S England but it doesn't have great schools. Bar the chilliness, I love Scotland but not familiar with Glasgow. I'm Irish, DH Scottish. Dc 11, 10, 6. We like the countryside but would be happy to embrace the greater culture available in/near a city, as long as there was easy access to green space.

I'd be really grateful for any thoughts on pros/ cons of Glasgow with a family, and recommendations for areas. Budget would be up to £800k for 4 bed detached house if that helps.

My DS plays rugby at his school so not sure what that says about us

It doesn't say anything at all! I'm sure he's a grand sport! The culture in certain boarding schools/ private schools, particularly in rugby teams, can be pretty toxic, but obviously not all of them. Often it's down to the coaching/ staff. One of DS' good friends at uni is from a very prestigious boarding school and plays rugby 😃- he also can't stand the 'rah' culture and now trains elsewhere.

Actually to wade in on it, I'm a teacher and am sometimes torn: I believe in state education and I know plenty of children who excel in "rough" schools... I also see the state system being stretched to breaking point, and do sometimes wonder if those that say things like "if they're bright they'll do well wherever" have actually stepped inside a poorly performing under resourced state school for a day in the last 10 years because it seems a remarkably out of touch perspective

Thanks for your perspective, OP. I'm one of those folk that advocate working hard no matter where you are/ your ability and doing the very best you can. I work in an area of huge deprivation and know many, many pupils who have excelled (we had a pupil a few years back who got 100% in Advanced Higher and a special award from SQA; a pupil from the care system started medicine at Edinburgh this year; a pupil with English as a 2nd lang from a single parent family doing STEM at St A's this year...etc, I could go on) and so many going on to positive destinations at college/ apprenticeships/ work. We try to get it right for every child. We're small, maybe that's the formula, with a cracking HT.

So, I'm not out of touch. I've been teaching 29 years almost, and see huge changes (many not for the better) but much of that is societal/ political, not lying at the feet of the weans or the staff who work their absolute arses off. The Glaswegian has come out in me there 😆.

Good luck finding a school and a lovely place to live. We're not a bad lot.

I won't fly the red flag in my corner any more- I think you all know my views 😆