2 issues here?
(a) Differences between UK and USA training syllabi.
(b) Differences between individual instructors performing training and checkouts.
As far as (a) is concerned , perhaps a CAA authority could explain why ground reference manouevres and departure stalls are unnecessary in UK/JAA PPL training. Likewise, perhaps an FAA authority could explain why they are considered essential in the US. Then we can each make a more informed judgement.
As far as (b) is concerned, that debate could last quite some time as there are so many aspects of flying technique which lend themselves to personal interpretation/preferences - see the instructor forum.