A teacher who had just secured a job at an Ipswich private school has died following a car crash in Devon.

The family of Charlotte Simpson described the trainee English teacher as inseparable from her sister Annabelle and adored by the children she taught.

The 24-year-old, who worked at Shebbear College in Shebbear, was driving her car on June 12 when it was in collision with another vehicle.

Despite being treated in hospital over the weekend the former Brentwood School pupil died the following Monday.

Miss Simpson’s father Greg said his daughter had just secured a job at the Royal Hospital School in Holbrook to be nearer her family.

“We were really looking forward to that because we live most of our time in Norfolk and with Annie back at Brentwood School, we would have been living much closer together in Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk,” Mr Simpson said.

“She was a very talented woman, she wanted to help everybody. We are devastated at the loss of our beautiful daughter and Annie’s sister.

“The feedback from Shebbear College is that the children adored her. Charlotte, whilst in the intensive care unit in hospital, was surrounded by her family, school friends, university friends and teaching friends in her last hours to pay their respects.

“The brightest light has been extinguished from our lives.”

Simon Weale, headmaster at Shebbear College, said in a statement on its website: “We are devastated to learn of Charlotte Simpson’s death.

“Charlotte became a very keen sports coach, but she was also prepared to have a go at just about everything – the staff choir, the boarders’ review, a charity play, trips to France and Barbados and so much more.

“Charlotte was sailing through her PGCE with consistently outstanding lesson observation grades.

“She was a star respected and loved by everyone at Shebbear for her wisdom, professionalism and warm-heartedness.

“We are absolutely bereft by her loss and our thoughts are very much with her parents and sister at this terrible time.”