Caring teacher died after being exposed to asbestos from hanging pupils' work on contaminated classroom walls for 25 years

• Marion Potts taught in schools in Britain and Norway for over 25 years
  
• The 63-year-old contracted mesothelioma, an asbestos-related cancer
  
• She died in June after taking ill-health retirement in 2012
  
• It is not known which school would have exposed Mrs Potts to lethal fibres
  
• Over 140 UK teachers have died of the disease in the past ten years

By Inderdeep Bains for the Daily Mail

Published: 08:22 EDT, 28 November 2013 | Updated: 08:44 EDT, 29 November 2013

For 25 years, she dedicated herself to educating children.

A passionate teacher, Marion Potts proudly pinned her pupils’ work to her classroom walls.

She had no idea this simple gesture was exposing her to asbestos that would eventually lead to her death.

Marion Potts was head of English at The Romsey School, in Hants,but retired two years ago due to ill health

The 63-year-old, who had worked at numerous schools across the country and abroad, died in June from mesothelioma, a cancer associated with the toxic substance.

An inquest heard the only place she could have been exposed to it was at school, where it can be released from walls in older buildings when displays are put up with drawing pins.

Mrs Potts, known to friends as Jane, is one of more than 140 UK teachers to die from mesothelioma over the past decade, leading to calls to remove asbestos from schools. At her inquest in Southampton, coroner Keith Wiseman said: ‘Mrs Potts particularly mentioned a variety of occasions – such as basic matters like putting up a display with drawing pins – where this material would come out of the walls or when they were damaged by pupils.’

Recording a verdict of death from industrial disease, Mr Wiseman added: ‘I hope all the necessary steps are taken in the future to ensure the elimination of this substance.’

Marion Potts last worked at Romsey School in Hampshire which has been declared safe by Hampshire County Council. It is not known where she was exposed to asbestos

Marion Potts was head of English at The Romsey School and was described as 'passionate' and 'caring'

The inquest heard it was not known at which school the teacher was exposed to asbestos. She retired from her most recent position as the head of English at The Romsey School, in Hampshire, two years ago after falling ill. Before that she worked at the New Forest Academy in Holbury. But education bosses insist that both Hampshire schools where Mrs Potts worked are safe.

Only last year an all-party Parliamentary group warned that 75 per cent of schools nationwide expose children and staff to asbestos. Mrs Potts’ husband Michael, 63, a retired banker, called for it to be removed from schools immediately and said he was considering legal action.

Around 2,500 people died from asbestos related illnesses in the UK in 2008 with millions thought to be affected

He added: ‘You usually associate the disease with dockers or those working in industrial jobs, not teachers. These buildings are 50 years old and asbestos will come out because kids are always running around, banging into things and people stick things into the wall. She was never made aware of these dangers.’

Former colleagues described Mrs Potts as ‘dedicated and passionate’.

Jonathan de Sausmarez, executive head at The Romsey School, said: ‘Jane was a very good teacher, very thorough and very professional. She cared very much for the students.’

Hampshire County Council leader Roy Perry said the authority had been ‘managing’ asbestos in schools since 1997. He  added: ‘We inspected all asbestos-containing materials at the New Forest Academy in August and can reassure staff, governors, parents and pupils that the school site is safe.

‘Romsey School will have been checked by the council from 2005 onwards, prior to becoming an academy, and it would have received a clean bill of health as we are not aware of any problem there.’

Asbestos was widely used in the UK as a building material up until 1985 when the use of most types was banned. It was completely banned from new buildings in 1999.

The toxic material is closely associated with Second Consortium of Local Authorities schools, which are prefab buildings developed as a temporary measure in the 1960s in response to the baby boom.

National Union of Teachers  representative Pete Sopowski said: ‘There’s a huge problem in schools. It’s a case of which schools don’t have it rather than which do.’