The phrase *Essex Girls*

Here's a photo of this Essex girl. Not a white stiletto in sight.
I'm the one giving directions.

TerriBull

Be proud GNs from Essex, you gave England Queen Boudicca, she knew how to demonstrate quite forcibly, The Only Way Is Essex, particularly to those interlopers who decided to set up camp in Colchester!

Both my children were born and bred in Essex. I don't think it's ever bothered them. It's only a certain sort of person who mocks where somebody was born - the same ones who make unfunny jokes about me nicking hubcaps because I was born on Merseyside.

GrannyGravy13

growstuff the four grammar schools in Southend are proper grammar schools according to the Education Authorities.

Yes, they are, but they're not in the same league as the Colchester and Chelmsford grammar schools. They're also not in Essex.

They cause problems on the Southend/Essex border because Essex parents what their children to go to them, if they can't get into the Colchester or Chelmsford grammar schools. Therefore, schools on the Essex side of the border lose some of their brightest pupils. The other side of the coin is that Southend parents, whose children would otherwise go to secondary moderns, opt for their children to to go to Essex comprehensives.

We don't have that problem in the northwest of the county because our children aren't eligible by distance for the grammar schools, which is why the comprehensive schools here are genuinely inclusive and parents don't get so stressed about choosing schools.

Terribull ?????

Be proud GNs from Essex, you gave England Queen Boudicca, she knew how to demonstrate quite forcibly, The Only Way Is Essex, particularly to those interlopers who decided to set up camp in Colchester!

growstuff the four grammar schools in Southend are proper grammar schools according to the Education Authorities.

I have met a few of the cast from townie and they are nothing like the characters they play, people that have a problem with Essex need to get a life

I did research at Beeleigh Abbey near Maldon, a long time ago. I walked there from Maldon every morning, accompanied by the song of skylarks. It was absolutely beautiful, and gave me a lasting love of the east of England.

MaizieD

^Essex has four grammar schools.^

Only four, growstuff? I'm very surprised. There are two in my 'birth town' alone. The one I went to is now an Academy, does that mean it's no longer classed as a Grammar school? Otherwise, I can't believe that there are only two more scattered over the county.

Sorry you don't believe it, but it's true. I worked in Essex secondary schools from 1982 and there were only ever four proper grammar schools in the county.

It's irrelevant anyway. The Essex grammar schools take about 1% of the children living in the county. What is important is the standard of education in the other schools.

To Pittcity was yours girls?

There's one at the bottom of our road on the Central Line, in Essex, but in a London Borough.

The Southend grammar schools don't have the same high intake as the four Essex grammar schools and don't have particularly good results.

MaizieD

^Essex has four grammar schools.^

Only four, growstuff? I'm very surprised. There are two in my 'birth town' alone. The one I went to is now an Academy, does that mean it's no longer classed as a Grammar school? Otherwise, I can't believe that there are only two more scattered over the county.

Yes, there are two in Colchester and two in Chelmsford. As I wrote before, Southend still has grammar schools, but Southend is administratively no longer part of Essex.

A large part of what was Essex is now classed as Greater London "MaizieD"
I went to an Essex Grammar that is now in a London Borough.

MaizieD

^Essex has four grammar schools.^

Only four, growstuff? I'm very surprised. There are two in my 'birth town' alone. The one I went to is now an Academy, does that mean it's no longer classed as a Grammar school? Otherwise, I can't believe that there are only two more scattered over the county.

It has eight MaizieD including the four in Southend-on-Sea which is now classed as a unitary authority.

Essex has four grammar schools.

Only four, growstuff? I'm very surprised. There are two in my 'birth town' alone. The one I went to is now an Academy, does that mean it's no longer classed as a Grammar school? Otherwise, I can't believe that there are only two more scattered over the county.

Southend-on-Sea has four grammar schools, several schools in Essex have grammar streams which require an entry test.

Essex is far more than Essex Girls nudge nudge wink wink jokes, the dismantling of this cliche is extremely overdue.

Felsted School was in the top 5% for A level results 2019.

Oh yes? I can't think of any "top" independent schools in Essex.

I should have expected that derisory type of comment from you growstuff. Not everything is measured by academic achievement you know, so "top" has several meanings. Maybe you've never heard of Bancrofts, Chigwell, Brentwood. Check out their entrants to "top" unis, though as I say, that isn't the be all and end all in life.

I'm an Essex girl too.

Grew up in Essex, still think of it as ‘home’. Moving away when I was 21 I was amazed to encounter the not really funny comments usually made by older men in the workplace. My well practised number one filthy look followed by a non-white stiletto accidentally finding a foot seemed to put a stop to it. Returning to work in my 30’s I can’t recall any comments at all. I do recall some interesting chats with male and female colleagues about regional accents, traditions and ways of life. The only person who persisted was one of Mr C’s long time friends who would occasionally try to copy my my accent, just ignored him. There are negative stereotypes about most areas I think, Essex girls aren’t alone.

Ellianne

Excellent schools * JenniferEccles* and a wealth of top independent schools too. There's brains and money!
West is my area, though the address comes under London so I got the freedom pass at 60!

Oh yes? I can't think of any "top" independent schools in Essex.

Callistemon

MaizieD

I hope that my GD’s can grow up without having to apologise for their birth County.

How silly.

I was born and brought up in Essex and I have never felt any need to apologise for my birth county.

But you are probably pre-TOWIE!

We were due to move to Essex when my DGD were 12 and 5 but another job transfer meant we moved elsewhere.
I've never been, although DH worked there for a short time but parts of it look lovely.

Essex is a big county. I confess I've hardly ever been anywhere in the county south of the A12.

JenniferEccles

How many grammar schools do you have in Essex?

More than most counties I believe, which makes a nonsense of the Essex girls ‘joke’

It’s a lovely county, especially the north.

Essex has four grammar schools. The unitary authority of Southend also has some, but Essex has far fewer than the "grammar school" authorities such as Kent. I'm not sure how they're a reflection of the intelligence of anyone in Essex, as only a tiny fraction of the children go to them. The overall performance of Essex schools is about average.