Essex County Council has put out a job listing for a school crossing patrol officer on Hockley Road near Edward Francis School following a 1,200 signature petition to improve safety there.
The pleas for improvement to Essex County Council followed a horrific crash in September that saw Ella Heels, 4, hit by a car and suffer third-degree burns and facial injuries leading to a series of surgeries.
A petition launched in October led to Essex County Council agreeing to appoint a crossing guard and that application process is now live.
Lib Dem Rochford councillor, Andrew Cross, said: “Highways sent an inspector quite quickly after we showed them the results of our petition but the report to the education department, which employs crossing officers, wasn’t done until a few weeks back.
“Hence the delay on getting the advert out, but now we have to spread the word and we are trying to help with the recruitment process, it is important to get someone in there as it is a dangerous area.
“I have personally campaigned for a reduction in speed limit from the top of Hockley Hill past both schools, including FitzWimarc.”
Following the accident, Ella is now free of weekly trips to burn doctors but faces a lifetime of surgery to correct a skin graft on her face.
Mr Cross added that the council is also broadening the range of road issues they are looking into, also hoping to reduce pollution near the school and address issues with parking in Rayleigh.
Mr Cross added: “This is a success story, the fact we are getting a manned crossing in there where vehicles do travel too quickly.
“There is no excuse for what happened to Ella and it wouldn’t have happened had that crossing been manned.”
The crossing is used daily by parents at Edward Francis Primary School as well as pupils at nearby FitzWimarc, with councillors in October also hoping to see a second crossing closer to the secondary school.