When Roger Hogg received a call from his mother to say that his sister, Irene, had gone missing, he immediately booked a flight to Scotland. Her disappearance, over the Easter weekend, was so out of character that he knew something serious had happened.

As he waited at Melbourne airport in Australia he got another call. His sister had been found dead. “It was a pretty horrendous journey home,” he says.

Irene Hogg, 54, the head teacher at Glendinning Terrace primary school near Galashiels in the Borders for 10 years, killed herself less than a week after a visit from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education. Friends said the five-day inspection in March had left her “disillusioned”.

Her brother believes she was under intolerable pressure and feared that her exemplary career, spanning more than three decades, was under threat. “My sister was an extremely strong character — one of the strongest characters I ever knew,” he says.

“There was nothing flaky or fragile about her. But she was overwhelmed with the growing amount of administrative work she had to do. She was a teaching head, but found it virtually impossible to fulfil both roles. For her, the children always came first and when she felt that wasn’t the case, she was unhappy. That was her position when the inspection took place.”

Hogg went missing on Good Friday this year, the end of her school’s inspection week. That afternoon, she had met the two female inspectors for a verbal briefing ahead of the full report, which will be published on June 24. The details of the meeting are unknown, although a friend said Irene seemed disillusioned afterwards. It is believed that several minor criticisms were raised, including a failure to complete paperwork relating to a disciplinary issue and her decision not to make use of a wooded area behind the school for teaching and play. She had not done so because it was notorious for being littered with dog dirt.

Whatever happened that afternoon, the subsequent events were tragic. Hogg, who lived alone, was last seen at home in the evening . She was due back at the 81-pupil school the following Tuesday. When she failed to show up, the police launched a search and pupils at her school said prayers for her safe return.

That night her silver Peugeot was found abandoned in the countryside near Jedburgh. Her body was found lying nearby. At 2am police arrived at the home of her elderly parents, Henry and Nancy, to tell them their daughter was dead.

Irene Hogg’s death shocked the closeknit community where she lived and worked all her life. Parents, pupils and colleagues spoke of her dedication, unstinting hard work and devotion to the children. She was described as a “true professional” who was held in great esteem.

A tribute web page, set up by Scottish Borders council, was inundated with messages. “Irene Hogg was more than just a local teacher — she was an asset to the whole community,” one person wrote. “She was a fantastic teacher who knew each and every one of her pupils by name and followed their progress when they moved on to high school and beyond,” said a parent whose two daughters were former pupils. “Miss Hogg was an amazing teacher who made me smile and taught me a lot. I will always try and do my best in her memory,” wrote a girl from Irene’s primary 6 class.

Her brother was touched, but not surprised, by the response. “Irene had a high profile in the area and she was well liked. She’d been in teaching for many years and it is such a small place that everybody knows everybody else.

“There was a great deal of support for the family and we appreciated that, but at the end of the day my parents are left having to cope with the fact that Irene is gone.”

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