Science teacher ‘worked to death’ after her promotion

Staff at a secondary school in Rochdale have been criticised for working a science teacher to death before she committed suicide. 

Laurian Bold, 31, became so stressed with her work load following a job promotion at Hollingworth Academy, she broke out in rashes and had to take medication.
Within three weeks of her new appointment, she resigned from the role and went off on sick leave for two months due to severe anxiety but still marked books from home.
But just a day after returning to work, Miss Bold pulled her car over on the M62 on February 26 and jumped off a bridge.

At an inquest in Heywood, coroner Lisa Hashimi recorded a verdict of suicide and said whilst she accepted the school had not made ‘major errors’, colleagues had ‘too high expectations’ of her.

She said: ‘I am satisfied that work related stress and the temporary promotion triggered the stress and anxiety at this time. The school did have high expectations perhaps too high.’

‘I cannot accept that the school were unaware that Laurian was working at home while out sick.

‘It should and would have been obvious and I do not accept the explanation from the head teacher that some staff prefer to retain work while still off sick – as that was not the case with Laurian.’

Laurian, a keen athlete who regularly took part in 5k runs for charity, had graduated in chemistry and completed a post graduate teaching course at Manchester Metropolitan University.

She then joined Hollingworth in 2007, six years before it was given its Academy status.

In October last year she was appointed as an assistant head in the science department but within weeks she was struggling to cope.

During a meeting at school in November Laurian broke in tears, quit her new job saying she was ‘letting the school down’ and staff referred her for counselling.
The following February she agreed to come back to school after a half term break but it was claimed on her first day, she found her work room was in chaos. She died the following day.

Laurian’s mother, Gabrielle, 54, said: ‘As Laurian’s parents we were concerned her illness was not being taken seriously by school.

‘I believe that by their actions, Hollingworth Academy have caused Laurians condition and ultimately her death.’

The school’s headteacher Darren Randle told the hearing: ‘All we wanted to do was support her back into work successfully. We just wanted her to get

‘There’s not many days gone by where colleagues have not reflected on what they could have done or couldn’t have done.’
 

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