PUPILS paid a silent tribute yesterday to a teacher who died in a weekend car crash.

An assembly was held at Staindrop Comprehensive School where food technology teacher Jennifer Askew, 54, had worked for 13 years.

The mother-of-two, from School Street, Witton-le-Wear, died in Darlington Memorial Hospital early on Saturday.

She had been trapped in her Ford Fiesta after a head-on collision with a Peugeot 306 driven by a 20-year-old man from the same village on Friday evening, on the C18A road between Witton-le-Wear and Howden-le-Wear.

News of Mrs Askew's death had reached many of Staindrop's 560 pupils by they time they arrived at school yesterday. Staff, who had been told of the tragedy by telephone over the weekend, told the rest of the students before they gathered to pray for Mrs Askew, her husband Jeremy, daughter Sarah, 20, and son Jonathan, 16.

Another assembly is being held today for the year eight group she led. Headteacher Brian Kinnair led tributes, saying: "She was an excellent teacher because she cared so much for the pupils.

"Her examination results were outstanding because she was so supportive and prepared to go that extra mile.

"In her role as head of year she was instrumental in encouraging pupils to get involved in the community and contribute to charities, in particular the Butterwick Hospice.

"Everyone at the school will miss her tremendously. The children are deeply upset."

As a tribute to Mrs Askew, who used to run the Victoria pub in Witton-le-Wear with her husband, a presentation of money raised by pupils for the Butterwick Hospice is going ahead on Thursday.

Children and staff are also donating money to the charity in her memory.