Rayleigh Edward Francis School crossing guard search

Rayleigh: So, Essex County Council is on the hunt for a school crossing guard on Hockley Road, right by Edward Francis School. This comes after a petition with 1,200 signatures pushed for better safety measures.

Why the urgency? Well, there was a terrible accident in September where a four-year-old girl named Ella Heels got hit by a car. She ended up with some serious injuries, including third-degree burns, and has had to go through multiple surgeries.

After the accident, a petition was started in October, and it got the council to agree to hire a crossing guard. Now, they’re actively looking for someone to fill that role.

Andrew Cross, a local Lib Dem councillor, mentioned that the highways team acted quickly after seeing the petition results. But there was a bit of a delay in getting the report to the education department, which is responsible for hiring crossing officers.

He’s been working hard to spread the word about the job opening because it’s crucial to have someone there. It’s a pretty dangerous spot, and he’s also been pushing for a lower speed limit in the area.

As for Ella, she’s finally done with her regular visits to the burn doctors, but she’ll still need surgeries to fix the skin graft on her face for years to come.

Mr. Cross also mentioned that the council is looking into other road safety issues, like reducing pollution near the school and tackling parking problems in Rayleigh.

He sees this as a win, saying it’s great that they’re getting a staffed crossing where cars tend to speed. He believes that if there had been a crossing guard, the accident with Ella could have been avoided.

Every day, parents and kids at Edward Francis Primary School use that crossing, and there’s hope for a second crossing closer to FitzWimarc Secondary School in the future.