A WHITEHAVEN school will close for a day in tribute to a staff member who has died suddenly.

Rachel Morgan, a teacher at Kells Infants School, is described as a woman who had a great love for children and for her community, and a passion for health and fitness.

She joined Kells in January last year, having previously worked in other local schools and touched a lot of young lives.

Wendy Figes, acting head teacher at Kells, said: “Whilst at Kells she oversaw the development and improvement of writing across the curriculum and also led computing through school.

"She had a particular interest in mental health and wellbeing and ran after-school clubs supporting this, including, mindfulness and yoga.

"Rachel had a passion for health and fitness and was a keen member of her local gym but also joined colleagues on local jogs after school or on a weekly basis.

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"This helped her meet her personal goal of achieving 10,000 steps as a minimum every day, a feat she maintained for 600 consecutive days.
Rachel was passionate about children and enjoyed being with them.

"She had a calm, quiet manner and made everyone feel at ease in her presence. She was thoughtful and kind.

"Rachel’s love for the community she served really shone through and it will be this loving heart we will miss the most. Losing Rachel has left a huge hole in our school community but our deepest sympathies are with her family and friends in their time of grief."

The school will be closed next Friday, January 27, to enable staff to attend a funeral service for Rachel.