An American mother who recently moved to Birmingham has shared her shock at three aspects of the British school system that she finds 'wild'. Molly, who documents her culture shocks on TikTok, said navigating the education system for her son has been an eye-opening experience.
First on her list was the existence of religious state schools. 'A school that is designated for the public, not a private school, can give priority to students based on religion,' she said, adding that it 'blows my American mind' because public schools in the US cannot discriminate on religious grounds.
Second, she highlighted school uniforms, which are worn by around 95% of UK pupils. 'I didn't grow up with them,' she said, noting the 'formal nature' of items like smart shoes. Finally, she praised the higher number of children who can walk to school in the UK, attributing this to better infrastructure and neighbourhood design compared to the US.
Brits commenting on her video offered insights, with one explaining that uniforms help prevent discrimination based on clothing. Another noted that most Church of England schools are not strictly religious, while a third said their Catholic school in Birmingham has more non-Catholic pupils.
