Who was Simon Gibbs? New Rickstones Academy headteacher dies while on holiday in France

The Headteacher of Rickstones Academy, Simon Gibbs, tragically passed away while on holiday in France on Saturday, February 10. His sudden departure has left the entire Rickstones Academy community devastated.

The details of his demise are unknown. However, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) confirmed that on Saturday evening, Mr Gibbs passed away on a getaway with his friends in France, as per The Sun.

New Rickstones Academy sports day 2023 at Melbourne (Image via Facebook/NewRickstonesAcademy)

Simon Gibbs was a Cardiff University graduate and joined Rickstones Academy in 2018 as a headteacher. According to the publication, the staff said he was the most loved and brilliant educator.

Johanna Thompson, the regional education director for the Academies Enterprise Trust, broke over the news and wrote a letter to parents and colleagues, where she shared her sadness and grief over Mr Gibbs' sudden demise.

---

An untimely demise of Rickstones Academy's extraordinaire headteacher, Simon Gibbs

Simon Gibbs from Essex was a Cardiff University graduate with a Master of Economics in 2004. He started his teaching career in the same year.

Mr. Gibbs was appointed as the Head of Mathematics at Maltings Academy. Later, in 2018, he moved to New Rickstones and joined Rickstones Academy, Witham, Essex, as the headteacher. As per the academy's administration, Simon Gibbs was promoted to Principal of the school in 2021.

Before his promotion, he worked at Rickstones Academy for six years and was described as the most brilliant and loved teacher, as reported by The Sun.

New Rickstones Academy was graded as "Good School" by Ofsted in 2018, the year Mr Simon Gibbs joined (Image via Facebook/NewRickstonesAcademy)

The Sun reported that the British authorities are in contact with French officials to discover the reason for his sudden demise.

The Regional education director, Johanna Thompson, wrote a heartbreaking letter to the parents and colleagues of the publication. She wrote,

"I am very sorry to be writing with the tragic news Simon Gibbs, our Principal, died over the weekend. From what we understand, there was an accident on Saturday evening whilst Simon was away for the weekend with some friends in France."

She further added,

"This is obviously devastating news, and our immediate thoughts are with Simon's family at this impossible time. Our staff have been informed today, and we wanted to make sure you are aware so that you have the opportunity to speak to your child tonight."

She further added that Mr Gibbs was her most loved colleague,

"Simon was a much-loved colleague and brilliant headteacher, and we will miss him enormously. He will be remembered for his integrity and passion for teaching, as well as his dedication to the community of New Rickstones."

New Rickstones Academy's staff and students (Image via Facebook/NewRickstonesAcademy)

In the short time he served as Headteacher, Mr Gibbs significantly impacted the school community, earning respect from students and their parents. Many parents paid tribute to him, saying he had such a lovely, kind heart and would "help" anyone.

The officials are investigating the actual prompts of Mr Gibbs's demise, whereas his loss is deeply felt by students, staff, and families alike.