A Harrogate teacher who felt under pressure to get good exam results set himself on fire in the school car park, an inquest has heard.
David Charlesworth, a science teacher at Rossett School, died in hospital after suffering 79% burns to his body.
Harrogate Coroner’s Court was told he felt stressed that some of his students would not achieve good grades.
The court was told he suffered bouts of depression which often coincided when A-levels students were taking exams.
The school’s head Patricia Hunter told the inquest how Mr Charlesworth had “very high standards”.
She told the court: “He never wanted to let anyone down, particularly the students.
“I think some of that was self-imposed anxiety.”
She described him as a “fantastic” teacher and said he wrongly thought some of the coursework marks would be poor.
“There was no reason in my opinion to be disappointed. The exam results didn’t bear that out.”
His wife Jennifer, a fellow science teacher, recalled how her husband, father to their four-year-old son and five-month-old baby girl, would take coursework on holiday.
The court was told he went to see his GP who initially treated him with medication before referring him to a mental health team in March 2011 where there was a waiting list.
