An ex-primary school headteacher committed suicide just days before Christmas, an inquest has heard. Simon Tonge, who was headteacher at Spring Hill Community Primary School in Accrington, died on December 2 last year.
Simon, of Clarendon Gardens, Bromley Cross, had struggled with his mental health for some time and felt a lot of pressure from his job as a headteacher, Bolton Coroners' Court heard. He also had 'problems with alcohol', according to family members present at the hearing, and Covid lockdowns made him become 'very stressed', they said. The death of two school colleagues and an illness to his father also added to his stress.
In 2020 the 50-year-old left his role as headteacher and made attempts to quit drinking by going to rehab. He worked for a community housing group and managed to do well with controlling his drinking at first but later relapsed.
