Disbelief at school where teacher found dead

Teachers stood huddled in a group, sobbing quietly and hugging each other on what should have been the first day of term at Strathmore School today, struggling to come to terms with the brutal murder of one of their female colleagues.

Lois Dear's body was discovered by two members of staff at about noon yesterday when they noticed a door to the classroom at the Tokoroa school unlocked.

Members of staff waited on the footpath outside the school this morning, but word appeared to have spread fast in the small central North Island town, with only one boy turning up alone with his schoolbag.

He was led away by a male teacher, sobbing. By 8.45am, the only other children to arrive were a trio who came with their mother to deliver a bunch of flowers.

"It's just so sad," said the mother, who did not want to be named.

She said the children were all students at the school and one was in the teacher's new-entrants class.

The mother, who was crying and hardly able to speak, said the teacher was "really neat" and used lots of music, exercise and dance in her classes.

"We still can't believe it," another woman said.

The school has been closed, a police cordon running the perimeter of the grounds and forensic teams moved in at 8am this morning to begin their examination.

Ms Dear's car was found at 9pm last night parked behind a church hall in Tokoroa. That area has also been cordoned-off.

Police had earlier said they were searching for the 1994 Toyota Carolla and had grave concerns for the owner's safety.

School principal Murray Kendrick was outside the school at 7.30am today in case students turned up for class.

He also comforted teachers as they arrived to help with the task. Many of the staff were crying and those approached said they were too upset to talk.

Mr Kendrick, described Ms Dear as "totally committed".

"[She] goes to work very early in the morning and has done as long as she's been here and often works into the evening," he said.

The woman, who is expected to be named by police this afternoon, had been at the school for eight years.

Mr Kendick and other staff moved on to a meeting at IPC, a local Pacific islands church, at about 9am today. They had planned to take with them any children who turned up to school and did not have someone at home to look after them.

Mr Kendrick said a plan would be formulated about how to best deal with the murder, which had been shocking to everyone at the school.

"There will be children needing counselling and staff," he said. Strathmore is a decile 1 school - the poorest level in the Ministry of Education rating system - but Mr Kendrick said that apart from the odd child losing their temper, violence was non-existent at the school.

"The kids here are wonderful and the parents are very supportive. We try and be a community school and do that best we can," he said.

The school has 12 classroom teachers and 18 part-time teachers and teacher aides for its 270 students.