themailonsunday.co.uk
December 10. 2007
A headmaster who was depressed by the pressure of work killed himself on the eve of an Ofsted inspection at his school.
Divorced Jed Holmes, 53, shut himself in his flat, closed all the windows and doors and lit a barbecue in his lounge - allowing the fumes from the coals to poison him to death.
Mr Holmes, described as a very private person who did not discuss his troubles with anyone, had been depressed for several months and had been off work from his school in Peterborough suffering from stress prior to his death on July 11.
His body was found lying face-down in the fume-filled lounge by police after a colleague grew concerned that he had not turned up for work on the morning before the Ofsted inspection at his Hampton Hargate School.
Recording a verdict of suicide, Peterborough coroner Gordon Ryall told the inquest today: "We cannot exclude the proximity of the Ofsted inspection. It was that which triggered off the action he decided to take.
"There was no reason for his concern but that, coupled with the problems he had been having, it was one thing too much for him to deal with at that time."
The inquest heard that at the school summer fete a few days before he died when a gas barbecue cylinder had accidentally rolled across the playground Mr Holmes was heard to remark: "I will need that later."
His school secretary Mrts Vicky Ronzano told the hearing how she had noticed Mr Holmes had allowed the pressure of his work to get to him and had let paperwork build up.
"He always appeared to be busy but didn't seem to produce much work. He didn't want to be left alone in his office," she said.
Mr Holmes had been signed off sick by his GP earlier in the year when he was diagnosed with depression but had eventually returned to school on reduced hours. He had once mentioned suicidal thoughts his spirits had seemed to improve with the help of medication.
His family doctor, Neil Sanders, told the hearing he had last seen Mr Holmes in May when he appeared much better and more relaxed and was looking forward to having a break over the holidays.
Mr Sanders felt he was well enough not to come back for 12 weeks "but always with an open door policy that he could return at any time".
Mrs Ronzano said the school had received a call on the Monday before Mr Holmes's death to say Ofsted inspectors were arriving for an inspection on the Thursday.
"At a staff meeting he seemed upbeat and keen to get on with it before the summer holidays," she said.
On Wednesday morning she became concerned when he did not appear at school and phoned his friend and fellow headteacher, John Vardy, who called at his house.
Finding Mr Holmes' car in the drive and the house closed up, Mr Vardy told her to call the police.
Mr Holmes had been head at the school since it opened in 2000 in the prestigious new Hampton suburb of Peterborough and had already been praised for getting the school off to a flying start in a previous OFTED inspection.
The school's deputy head Sarah Moss told the inquest Mr Holmes had behaved in a strange manner when announcing the inspection to staff "He was unusual because he would normally relish the challenge but he was quite quiet about it. That there was no reaction was unusual. Stasff commented on it." The last conversation she had with him was about the school's results which weren't as good as the previous year.
"He was asking himself lots of questions about things he knew. He was trying to reassure himself.
"There was nothing to worry about but the school had changed since the last inspection growing from 60 to 400 pupils. It was just that the results weren't as good."
(Retrieved in full from themailonsunday.co.uk)
