Inquest hears 16-year-old on watchlist struggled with boarding before fatal A14 crash near Suffolk school

An inquest in Suffolk heard that Georgia Scarff, a 16-year-old pupil at Royal Hospital School in Holbrook, was described by her family as hardworking but struggling with boarding at the elite, near-£50,000-a-year institution, before she was struck by a lorry on the A14 near her home.

Scarff, weeks away from GCSEs, excelled in sport and was on track to complete her Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. She had been on a watch list linked to the loss of her father and had begun receiving counselling after reporting anxiety and panic attacks in Year 11. In 2022 she shifted from three nights of boarding per week to five, a change staff said suggested she was coping with school life. The inquest heard that her mother, Jennifer Scarff, was woken by a call at about 1:20 a.m. on the night of April 15—the day Georgia was due to return for the summer term—explaining there had been an incident nearby. About 40 minutes later, Mrs. Scarff learned that Georgia had died after being hit by a truck on the westbound section of the A14 near their home in Bury St Edmunds.

The day before her death, Georgia had packed up her belongings at school with her elder sister and returned home to have dinner and watch television with her mother. The three-day inquest began with Mrs. Scarff describing her daughter as her best friend, a loyal helper and someone who was wise beyond her years and possessed a resilient, tough persona. The inquest was told the family had moved to Bury St Edmunds from Shelland in 2010 following Georgia’s father’s death. She joined Royal Hospital School in 2022, entering Year 10, after the school’s historic founding in 1712. Her mother said Georgia had complained about boarding and, in Year 11, began suffering panic attacks, consulting the school nurse and later the school counsellor.

The deputy head and safeguarding lead, Zoe King, told the inquest that the school used “mapping techniques” to identify students in need of support and to tailor healthcare plans. Some pupils are placed on a watch list to ensure staff were aware of issues requiring attention. Miss Scarff was described as someone for whom boarding had proved difficult when she first joined, particularly when she initially boarded three nights a week. The school noted that her move to five nights of boarding in 2022 was seen as a sign she was adapting and coping with school life.

In January 2020, Mrs. Scarff had found an entry in her daughter’s journal indicating she had contemplated self-harm if she returned to school. The school worked with the family to provide support, and the staff said they were encouraged to hear that Georgia would be boarding five nights a week in 2022. Georgia’s mother said her daughter had an interest in geopolitics and current affairs and wanted to understand the world and her place in it. In a tribute, the family described Georgia as a star with a bright future, a keen athlete who excelled in hockey, tchoukball, fitness training and rugby, and who had earned Bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards and was well underway with Gold.

Three-night boarding at Royal Hospital School is listed at £39,735, with weekly boarding at £45,774 and full boarding at £49,851. The school, nicknamed “The Cradle of the Navy,” has a notable list of alumni and a long history dating back to its charter in 1712. The inquest continues as investigators review the events and support structures surrounding Georgia’s schooling and wellbeing.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, confidential support is available from Samaritans at 116 123 or via samaritans.org.