A nurse at an elite boarding school who assessed a troubled teenager weeks before she was hit and killed by a lorry at the start of her GCSE exam term told an inquest she often wondered: ‘How have we missed this?’
‘Hardworking’ teenager Georgia Scarff had been struggling to cope at £50,000-a-year Royal Hospital School in Holbrook, Suffolk, when she died, the hearing has been told.
The driven 16-year-old excelled in sport such as hockey and rugby and was on her way to completing her Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award.
But she was on a watch list at the school where, the coroner was told, she continued to board because because of the exam workload and the lengthy bus journey from home in Bury St Edmunds.
Speaking on the third and last day of the inquest in Ipswich, Sister Deborah Sweeney, who has taken courses in self-harm prevention and mental health first aid, said Georgia was referred to her as manager of the school’s health centre.
She described how she discussed anxiety with the student, who responded by saying she was ‘a very chilled person’ – although she was concerned about where she would study her A-levels, adding: ‘I want somebody to make the decision for me.’
The hearing has been told that communications with the school mentioned Georgia’s ‘sense of hopelessness’.
But Sister Sweeney said: ‘She presented confidently, she wasn’t distressed, she spoke articulately, she answered questions, she was very polite and respectful…
Georgia Scarff, 16, who was weeks away from sitting her GCSEs, was on her way to completing her Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award
‘I’ve gone through this so many times in my head and thought “How have we missed this?” It could torment you, if you allowed it to.’
She added: ‘I can honestly say there wasn’t anything in that meeting that gave me cause for concern.’
The inquest at Suffolk Coroner’s Court has heard that Georgia, who joined the school in 2022, initially boarded three nights a week but shortly afterwards began staying five nights, which senior staff took to mean she was ‘coping with school life’.
Her mother, Jennifer, was woken up by a call from her at 1.20am on April 15 last year, however – the day she was due to return to school for the summer term – after which she called 999.
Just 40 minutes later, Mrs Scarff – an estate manager for the National Trust – learned Georgia had died on the westbound section of the A14 dual carriageway a short distance from her home after being hit by a truck.
The previous day, Mrs Scarff’s two daughters had packed their belongings and dropped them off at school before returning home to have dinner and watch television with her.
A forensic collision investigator report found that Georgia had been hit by a HGV tractor unit connected to a trailer, the inquest heard today.
It said the vehicle was driving within the speed limit on a section of the A14 dual carriageway and there was no infringement of the HGV driver’s hours.
The driver said in the report that while he was driving he heard a ‘bang’, adding: ‘In my immediate reaction I swerved to the right as I didn’t know if it was a human being.
‘She gave me no chance to avoid her.’
Police analysis said Georgia’s dark clothing meant she was difficult to see and it was found the driver would have had ‘very little opportunity to identify’ Georgia in the road and ‘very little time’ to react.
The court heard that Georgia sent a message to her mother, Jennifer Scarff, shortly before her death, telling her: ‘I love you so much and I am so sorry for everything but I can’t do this anymore. It’s not your fault.’
She added: ‘I can’t be happy with everything I have. I love you to the moon and back,’ adding that she hoped she would see her father again.
‘Please don’t hate me,’ she said.
Mrs Scarff and Georgia then had a brief phone call, before Mrs Scarff called police and told them she could see Georgia near the A14 on a phone tracking app.
A post-mortem examination concluded Georgia died from a severe injury in a road traffic collision and there was no evidence of alcohol or drugs in her system.
Mrs Scarff’s lawyer told the court that she had sent her to boarding school so she had a ‘wider view of life’.
Both Georgia and her mother ‘felt that they were not listened to’ and Mrs Scarff hoped her daughter’s death was a ‘learning point’ and that school processes should be reviewed as there was ‘no holistic, joined-up approach’ to addressing concerns about Georgia’s wellbeing.
The court heard Mrs Scarff wants to ‘raise awareness amongst friends, family and acquaintances’.
At the start of the inquest on Tuesday, Mrs Scarff said her daughter had been ‘my best friend, my right-hand woman, my little helper and comforter’.
She added she was ‘wise beyond her years’ and ‘gave off a very tough and resilient persona’.
The teenager died after being hit by a lorry on the A14 near her home in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, the night before she was due to return to historic Royal Hospital School in Holbrook for the start of the summer term when she was due to sit her GCSEs
The family had moved to Bury St Edmunds from Shelland, near Stowmarket, in 2010 following the death of Georgia’s father, the inquest was told.
Georgia joined Royal Hospital School, which was founded by Royal Charter in 1712, as a Year 10 student three years ago.
Her mother said she complained about boarding and in Year 11 began suffering panic attacks and saw the school nurse, followed by three sessions with the school counsellor.
The school’s deputy head and safeguarding lead, Zoe King, previously told the inquest that they used ‘mapping techniques’ to identify children in need of support and provide them with a tailored healthcare plan.
Some are placed on a ‘watch list’ to help ensure staff were aware of issues relating they needed to be aware of.
Ms King explained that Georgia was on this list due to the loss of her father.
She described how the teenager – who also worked in housekeeping at a hotel – had found boarding ‘very difficult’ when she joined the school, when she initially boarded three nights a week.
In January 2020, Mrs Scarff had found an entry in her daughter’s journal which mentioned self-harming if she returned to school.
She attended Royal Hospital School in Holbrook, Suffolk, which was founded in 1712 and where full-time boarders pay £49,851
The school worked with her to support her daughter, Ms King said, and she was encouraged to hear that Georgia would be boarding five nights a week in 2022.
She assumed this meant she was adapting to boarding, adding: ‘[Georgia’s] presentation was one of a young person who was very much managing, coping with school life.
‘It was a tremendous shock to hear of her passing.’
Georgia’s mother told the inquest she had been interested in geopolitics and current affairs, adding: ‘She wanted to understand the world, what was going on around her, and where she fitted into it.’
The inquest heard a written statement from Georgia’s grandparents today, in which they said their ‘beloved’ granddaughter was a ‘true tomboy’ who could often be found climbing a tree in their garden.
She was also a ‘kind and thoughtful’ girl who would help at home when staying with them.
The hearing was also told that Georgia had been awarded her expected GCSE grades posthumously.
In a tribute after her death, the teenager’s family said: ‘We have been left devastated by the loss of our beloved Georgia.
The teenager was described by her family as a ‘keen sports person, excelling in hockey, tchoukball, fitness training and more recently rugby’
‘Georgia was a star in every sense of the word, shining bright with the promise of a future filled with remarkable achievements and profound impact.
‘She was a keen sports person, excelling in hockey, tchoukball [an indoor team sport, played by teams of seven players], fitness training and more recently rugby. She had achieved both her Bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards and was already well into her Gold Award.
‘Georgia was about to sit her GCSEs and was expected to do well and continue with A-levels. She had an enquiring mind and a ready smile, a dry wit and maturity beyond her years.
‘Georgia had so much potential and a bright future. She was a loyal and generous friend and was admired for her tenacity and courage.
‘Whilst she downplayed her successes, we were hugely proud of all her achievements. We know how missed she will be by all that knew her as a friend, peer, teammate, as her teacher or coach and especially by her family.
‘She was a star shining bright and we were blessed to have her for the short time we held her close but we know she will always be with us in spirit.’
Georgia’s mother wrote to her form tutor, Tereza Shopova Mireva, in January 2024, saying that she was suffering from anxiety which left her feeling sick and made it difficult for her to board, the inquest was told.
She included comments her daughter had made, including ‘How will I cope with the bigger stresses of life?’ and ‘My friends at school are not my best friends. No-one is really close to me’.
Georgia seen playing tchoukball, an indoor team sport, played with a ball by teams of 7 players
But Ms Shopova Mireva said it wasn’t enough for her to raise formal safeguarding concerns as lots of children suffered anxiety in their GCSE year.
She also didn’t raise the matter with Georgia, telling the inquest: ‘I did not necessarily feel that is my expertise. I suggested they go to the health centre.’
Ms Shopova Mireva added: ‘It’s quite common for GCSE students to feel physically sick because of the exams, especially with students with a hard-working profile because they want to do well.’
Three-night boarding at Royal Hospital School currently costs £39,735, while weekly boarding is £45,774 and full boarding is £49,851.
Notable alumni at the school, which is nicknamed ‘The Cradle of the Navy’, include Antarctic explorer Ernest Joyce (1875–1940), a member of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition and John Deane (1800–1884) and Charles Deane, who invented the diving helmet and discovered of the wreck of the Mary Rose in 1839.
Among other notable are Admiral Arthur Phillip (1738–1814), founder of Sydney, Australia and the Governor of the first European colony on the continent, and marksman Malcolm Cooper (1947–2001), who won Olympic gold medals at Los Angeles and Seoul and beat or equalled 15 world records.
Coroner Darren Stewart today offered Mrs Scarff his ‘sincere condolences’ for her loss, adding Georgia showed ‘promise that sadly wasn’t realised’ and that Mrs Scarff had suffered ‘pain and anguish which I fear none of us can properly understand’.
He will deliver his conclusion next month.
* For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch. See www.samaritans.org for details
