Strain of exams led boy to kill himself

Matthew Ibbott, a 17-year-old who was worried about his A-levels, shot himself in the head at his home in Durham City.

And last night, teaching unions and children's campaigners reacted to the tragedy by issuing an appeal for youngsters to seek urgent help if they are struggling with exam pressure.

An inquest held yesterday heard how Matthew was in the upper sixth form of Durham Johnston School.

He had already achieved good grades at AS-level in physics, biology, chemistry and politics. His family was helping decide which university to choose.

But the youngster's mother found his body in the downstairs toilet of his York Road home, in Newton Hall, on November 8.

Detective Chief Inspector Mick Nail carried out an investigation into the shooting.

He told the hearing at Chester-le-Street: "Matthew had been stressed about his studies in recent months, which university to go to and which course he would be taking.

"Matthew had made a serious attempt on his life in August 2002, when he cut his wrist quite deeply but recovered. But then it was because of bullying.

"The investigation has not identified anything suspicious or the involvement of a third party in the death of Matthew."

The shotgun belonged to his mother's partner, David Hopper, who had been to a shooting event the previous weekend.

It was kept in a case in the house, and the ammunition was kept in a car outside.

The inquest heard how Matthew knew how to load and fire the gun.

North Durham Coroner Andrew Tweddle concluded that the youth intended to take his own life.

After the hearing, Matthew's mother, Dr Naomi Ibbott, paid tribute to her son. She said: "The whole family were stunned by Matthew's suicide. His friends were also shocked.

"We all loved him. Matthew was a great lad, with a brilliant sense of humour. We all miss him terribly. The knowledge that he had so much potential and so much to look forward to in life makes his loss even harder to bear.

"Only those who have faced the death of a child will know the ordeal of our grief.

"Luckily, we've had the support of good friends and family, which has helped us through.

"I'm also grateful for all the kind thoughts and memories of Matthew's own school friends."

Dr Ibbott is setting up a trust fund at the school in Matthew's name to help students facing financial hardship who want to study science at university.

Last night, a children's charity and a teachers' trade union urged teenagers who are worried about their grades to talk to someone.

Carolyn Roberts, headteacher at Durham Johnston School, said: "Education is a pressured time for young people who are aiming to get into highly-competitive universities, and they have a lot of stress and strain in the two years of sixth form.

"We try to support all of our young people as best we can by giving them advice, so they are as best prepared as we can possibly make them.

"We are working with Dr Ibbott to help one student a year who is studying life sciences, because that is a subject we think Matthew would have wanted to study."

Students all over the country are preparing for GCSE and A-level exams and aiming to get a place at university.

A spokesman for the National Union of Teachers said: "If a young person is getting worried, then the best thing they can do is speak to their teachers about it."

Childline also offers advice on exam stress and young people can talk to someone in confidence by calling the charity's hotline.

Calls to the charity from stressed-out students have soared in recent years.

A spokesman said: "At this time of year, Childline receives calls from young people who a worried about exam revision or have taken exams and are worried about the results. It can be an incredibly stressful time for young people, and they should not bottle it up.

"If things don't work out it is not the end of the world, and it is important to keep things in perspective."

He added: "If anyone is at the point where they are thinking of taking their own life, we would desperately urge them to get in touch before taking such action and it is too late."

Anyone worried about their education can call 0800 1111 or visit www.childline.org.uk for tips on how to cope with exam pressure.

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