Career suicide

Teachers blasted for asking kids to pen mock suicide notes

A SECONDARY school has been slammed for asking pupils to write their own suicide notes in English lessons.

Year 9 and 10s at Beauchamps High School in Wickford, Essex, were left “traumatised” after penning the mock letters based on ‘An Inspector Calls’ character Eva.

Teachers say the lesson was designed to teach the 13 and 14-year-old students ‘empathy’ and the idea of ‘responsibility’.

One woman, 18 - whose younger sister produced one of the notes - wrote on Facebook: “I’m fine with the fact that yes the girl [Eva] writes it, but why are teachers thinking it’s acceptable to get 13-year-olds to write them as if they were the girl?

“I personally think this is so wrong and feel really uncomfortable knowing they think this is normal?”
“The fact I just heard my baby sister’s suicide note just broke my heart,” she added.

Anger at homework task Getty

Facebook users criticised the school online Dan Stone wrote: “I personally think this is disgraceful subject 13 year olds to this kind of work especially as there so impressionable and as a lot of young children are actually going through depression at the moment.

“I don’t know about anyone else but when I did homework were you have to put yourself in someone else’s shoes you think hard into it and if any of these children have been thinking about doing something like this
 God forbid it. Could this not push them to the edge? Disgraceful.”

The exercise was set less than six months after popular pupil Tommy Stiffel, 15, of Wickford, died from serious head injuries on Sunday 5 April during the school holidays.

Students were called into a special assembly when they returned to school to be told the news the following day.

Pupis were left 'traumatised' Getty

At an inquest last month Essex coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray recorded an open verdict into Tommy’s death.

According to a post on a Justgiving fundraising page by Tommy’s girlfriend Katie Comben the youngster had been battling depression.

Defending the lessons headteacher Bob Hodges said: “The students in Year Nine and 10 for their GCSE English Literature are studying An Inspector Calls as I am sure many students across the country are and have done since I was a student at school which was many, many moons ago.

“Under the syllabus, the things to be studied are the themes of responsibility and the fact that every character in the play is ‘responsible’.

“The students have been asked to write a character’s last journal entry, expressing thoughts and feelings.

That’s actually what’s been set.”