Having observed the ebbs and flows of John Masefield over the four seasons, I can happily confirm that most students here have a real desire to thrive, progress, achieve.

They have impressed me with courageous performances on the stage, ambitious brilliance on the sports field and fantastic charity initiatives in the classroom. They make me laugh, frequently; a number of gloomy mornings have been instantly brightened by the stories, jokes and terrible homework excuses brought to me by students in all years.

This is why I am so pleased to be part of this new project; the John Masefield/Ledbury Reporter collaboration has come about because the students are proud of their school and want to share their experiences and opinions with readers beyond the school gates.

The editing team is made up of students from Years 11, 12 and 13; contributions will be invited from every student in the school who would like to see their articles published.

Updates will occur as the writing rolls in. Subjects will be broad and aim to cover every aspect of life at John Masefield; the lessons, the laughter and the life of the school will be shared with you over the coming months. We hope that in reading these pieces, you will understand just what it is that makes John Masefield such a special place with which to be involved.