A CORONER has questioned why school bosses did not respond to a student’s ‘cry for help’ just days before she was found dead.

Joanna Parry, the safeguarding lead and deputy head of pastoral care at Windermere School, where 14-year-old Fionnuala Ryan attended, was quizzed by coroner Andrew Tweddle.

He asked about the school’s response after the student made a ligature which he deemed as a potential ‘cry for help’.

Earlier in the inquest Furzana Nazir, detective chief inspector at Cumbria Constabulary at the time of Fionnuala’s death, expressed her belief that quicker action should have been taken after the 14-year-old’s initial ligature.

“If there was a potential that what she did was a cry for help, what she would be looking for is a response, did she get that response?” the coroner asked Ms Parry.

She said the different responses the school could have given included: pulling in a parent about the incident, ringing a parent, or bringing in an adult support.

But she told the inquest none of these options were used in Fionnuala’s case.

“We check on their welfare and I make sure I check them as they come out of the classrooms,” Ms Parry said.

“I was around in the dining room making sure I was watching them as that is when you see the children as themselves.”

She said the day after the incident she called Mrs Mel Monk, who the court heard had a good relationship with Fionnuala's mum Margaret Taylor, to explain what had happened.

“I asked her if she was alright when I saw her. She said she was fine,” said Ms Parry.

“She was perfectly normal Fi, bright, brazen, and smiley.”

Ms Parry said she had complied a list of students that may have been impacted by the suicide of student Pierre DaCosta Noble just a month earlier.

Fionnuala was not on this list of students initially, which Ms Parry explained was because she was following the Public Health England guidance on the matter and so she was not flagged up.

When the coroner said 'the bottom line is that she didn’t come onto your radar of support, care and attention', Ms Parry replied: 'No'.

School nurse Susan Brown said Fionnuala had gone to see her in the aftermath of Pierre’s suicide and was upset and tearful, the inquest was previously told.

“She said she couldn’t understand why it happened,” said Ms Brown. “She said she was worried that she would forget Pierre.”

Fionnuala was found hanged in the Windermere area on Friday, December 13, 2019.

The inquest continues.

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