A ‘hardworking’ teenager who was struggling with boarding at an elite £50,000-a-year school was struck by a lorry on an A-road hours before starting a new term, an inquest heard.
Georgia Scarff, 16, who was weeks away from sitting her GCSEs, 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 watchlist at Royal Hospital School in Holbrook, Suffolk, where she didn’t like boarding but put up with it because of the exam workload and lengthy bus journey from home in Bury St Edmunds.
Georgia received counselling and in 2022 she changed from boarding three nights a week to five nights a week, which senior staff took to mean she was ‘coping with school life’.
But the inquest heard that her mother Jennifer was woken up by a call from her at 1.20am on April 15 last year – the day she was due to return to school for the summer term – after which she called 999.
Just 40 minutes later, she learned that Georgia had died on the westbound section of a A14 dual carriageway a short distance from her home after being hit by a truck.
The previous day, Georgia had packed her belongings and dropped them off at school with her elder sister before returning home to have dinner and watch television with their mother.
The three-day inquest at Suffolk Coroner’s Court began with a statement from Mrs Scarff, who said her daughter had been ‘my best friend, my right-hand woman, my little helper and comforter’.
Georgia Scarff, 16, who was weeks away from sitting her GCSEs, was on her way to completing her Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award.
She added she was ‘wise beyond her years’ and ‘gave off a very tough and resilient persona’.
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.
She joined Royal Hospital School, which was founded by Royal Charter in 1712, in 2022 when she entered Year 10.
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, 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 Miss Scarff was on this list due to the loss of her father.
She described how Georgia – 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.
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
She attended Royal Hospital School in Holbrook, Suffolk, which was founded in 1712 and where full-time boarders pay £49,851
In January 2020, Mrs Scarff had found an entry in her daughter’s journal which stated she talked of self-harming if she returned to school.
The school worked with Mrs Scarff 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.’
In a tribute after her death, Georgia’s family said: ‘We have been left devastated by the loss of our beloved Georgia.
‘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.
The teenager was described by her family as a ‘keen sports person, excelling in hockey, tchoukball, fitness training and more recently rugby’
Georgia seen playing tchoukball, an indoor team sport, played with a ball by teams of 7 players
‘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’.
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.
The inquest continues.
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