About John Masefield High School
A Performing Arts College
John Masefield High School is an all ability 11-18 school situated in the market town of Ledbury. We have Specialist School Status for the Performing Arts and are a DfES designated Training School.
At John Masefield High School we give young people genuine responsibility and expect the very best of every member of our community. We are determined to provide an excellent, enjoyable and enriching learning experience for all of our young people. We treat each student as an individual and seek to develop their confidence, motivation and independence.
We attract excellent staff who deliver high quality teaching and support to our students. This, combined with the strong and supportive partnership we have with parents, ensures each of our students achieve as well as they possibly can.
If you wish to visit our school please do not hesitate to contact us.
Ledbury
Ledbury is a small and historic market town in south Herefordshire. A centre for tourism, Ledbury attracts many visitors from those keen to delight in its "old world" charm, to the many ramblers and walkers who frequent this most attractive part of the world. The town lies close to the Malvern Hills and is equidistant from Hereford and Worcester, with the towns of Cheltenham and Gloucester less than half an hour away.
There are direct train services to both London and Birmingham and the M50 is only five minutes drive away. There is a healthy economy in the town based on serving a wide rural area as well as various businesses and industrial enterprises. The community is a lively one with a wide range of social and leisure activities.
JMHS takes its name from one of Ledbury's most famous 'sons', poet John Masefield who was born and spent his childhood in the town (as did Elizabeth Barratt Browning). Masefield was Poet Laureate from 1930-1967 and his family still live in Ledbury which is now host to a major international Poetry Festival every summer.
In 1978, on the amalgamation of Ledbury's Grammar and Secondary Schools and Canon Frome School, we became an all-ability 11-18 school. In September 1999 we became an Arts College, specialising in the Performing Arts of Dance Drama and Music.
The growing popularity of the school is reflected in the increase in student numbers from 650 in January 1995 to well over 1000 in September 2005. We have a thriving Sixth Form with around 150 students. We are the only secondary school in the town and our catchment area includes the town's primary school and the primary schools of seven surrounding villages. The school is situated on a pleasant site close to the edge of town with fine views over the surrounding countryside.
All subject departments have well equipped suites of teaching rooms. As a growing school we have a range of new buildings: dining hall, dance studio, drama studio, and science labs. In October 2003 our new Sixth Form Centre was completed. This is a purpose built centre for post-16 education with excellent study facilities.
Our sport and leisure complex and floodlit Astroturf pitch, built as the result of a successful National Lottery bid in 1998, have also greatly enhanced the educational experience we provide.
Our new study facilities completed in 2007 include a brand new English ICT suite and a refurbished Music Technology Suite.
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