SAFETY improvements for the car park of the John Masefield High School have been warmly welcomed by parents and the local community.

As far back as 2014, a school newsletter highlighted concerns over what it called "near misses" on the car park, which is located at the front of the school and is shared, at dropping off and home times, by school buses, cars, and hundreds of students on foot.

The school stressed this week there have been no worrying incidents on the car park recently but it still carried out a recent "safeguarding review".

And new measures, to be "proactive in trying to maintain student safety" are now being put in place.

School manager, Wendy Bradbeer said: "The John Masefield High School is implementing a series of measures to keep students safe.

"One recommendation is to improve the physical safety of students whilst they are in the main car park at the beginning and end of the school day.

"We are providing an additional zebra crossing for students to cross the main car park and introducing a no-waiting area to ensure the buses can reverse safely. This, together with reminding parents that they should always park considerately, should ensure our students are safer."

Mrs Bradbeer added: "Final cost is difficult to know at this stage as we've only just gone out for tender for the main work, but I would anticipate £3,000 on external improvements, including signage."

The news met with ticks of approval on social media, and town councillor, Annette Crowe, whose three children attended the school said; "It's very welcome news. It is unfortunate the way the school was designed, with the car park at the front, and there is obviously a need for these improvements.

"I see members of staff in high-visibility jackets on the car park when the students are going into the school and leaving the school."

Another Ledbury resident, with a child at the school, also welcomed the planned improvements but added: "Ideally, it would be good if cars and coaches did not have to share the same car park; but I can't see how that could happen."

The school has already taken proactive measures in the recent past to make sure that cars and coaches are not competing for space on the car park.

In a school newsletter of April 2014, headteacher Andrew Evans informed parents that, due to safety concerns discussed with governors and the police, parents should not drive into the school car park before 3.30pm.

A school spokesman said at the time: "There are ten school buses that leave the site between 3.15pm to 3.30pm, along with approximately 400 students leaving on foot; the area is restricted and our priority must be to ensure the safety of all students at all times.

"We believe that private cars driving onto the school site before 3.30pm pose a substantial risk which can be reduced by simply requiring parents to delay the time they enter the car park."

The spokesman added: "We also ask parents not to walk across the car park behind the school buses to collect their children as this too poses a significant safety risk. Our aim is not to inconvenience parents, but to minimise the risk to students at the end of the school day."