A TEACHER who died in a diving accident was due to lead a school trip in a bid to share her favourite hobby with pupils, it has been revealed.

Geography teacher Heather Schofield, who turned 26 last Saturday, was diving off County Kerry, Ireland, when she died.

It is thought that a shortage of oxygen in her diving tank may have led to the tragedy, on Monday.

Paul Smith, head at Moorland High School, Clitheroe, revealed how Heather had only been working at the boarding school since last September, but had thrown herself into the job.

Heather, who lived in Hurst Green, was a keen diver and was working towards her Master Diver qualification. She was set to lead a school diving expedition in November.

She was also a local charity champion, working tirelessly in her roles for Blackburn and then Ribble Valley Rotaract.

Mr Smith said: "She only joined us in September last year. It's just devastating to us. She threw herself into the job completely on the boarding side and academic side as well.

"When school returns next week it's going to be a pretty sombre affair. We just need to get through the next few weeks and the school back to normal, and get the kids re-grouped."

Heather's mother was also holidaying in the same area, and is due to fly home this week with other family members.

Heather's body has been released by the coroner, and is being flown to this country to a chapel of rest in Accrington. The funeral date has not been confirmed.

Mr Smith said the school would be holding a service at a local church, and the children -- who are on school holidays -- are still being informed of the death through their parents.

Mr Smith had been diving in Malta at the time of Heather's death, and was at a heliport when he received the phone call.

He said: "It's just such a shame. She has been with us a short period of time but all of us are devastated. When we returned after the holidays she would have been getting involved in doing pool dives in preparation for the trip.

"She lived for diving, she'd done more than a hundred dives and was working her way through her qualifications. There was never a weekend she was not doing something in the water. She was going to go all the way with diving. We are a close-knit school and it's like a member of the family dying."