Girl, 16, took own life at top boarding school after ‘hyper-fixating on first ever detention’

A schoolgirl who took her own life at a top boarding school had become “hyper-fixated” on her first ever detention before she died, her father has revealed.

Caitlyn Scott-Lee, 16, died at £44,000-a-year Wycombe Abbey School, in Buckinghamshire, on Friday 21 April.

She was found in a wooded area near the playing fields that evening, not far from the school’s sports centre playing grounds.

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Her father Jonathan Scott-Lee has now shared his daughter’s final diary entry, in which she thanked her friends for their love, wished them luck and said goodbye.

In the note, seen by The Sunday Times, Caitlyn recounts running away from a school trip to Eton College as a cry for help.

“I hope this is my last diary entry. I want to kill myself tomorrow,” the entry, written the night before her death, is reported to have read.

Speaking of how the threat of detention had been playing on her mind, she writes: “Running away was the best cry out for help I could give and you [Wycombe] responded with ‘we’d normally punish you but you’re already getting punished’.”

Just hours before she had reportedly been due to receive a two-hour punishment, known as a “headmistress’s detention”, Caitlyn took her own life.

The 16-year, who was due to sit her GCSE examinations soon, was issued the punishment after vodka and a tattoo kit had been found in her locker before the Easter holidays.

“She was mortified to receive a detention,” Mr Scott-Lee, 41, told the newspaper.

“To some of us, it is a badge of honour, sitting in a room for two hours to work. But Caitlyn seemed hyper-fixated on the concept of a detention, and it seems she was determined to do anything she could to avoid it.”

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In the wake of her tragic death, her father is speaking out about his daughter to raise awareness about the needs of neurodiverse children.

Mr Scott-Lee explained that autistic people, including himself and his daughter, “tend to think of the world in binary terms - it can be difficult [for them] to differentiate between two extremes.”

The senior executive at HSBC is now urging prime minister Rishi Sunak to help open up a national conversation, encouraging schools like Wycombe to better support neurodiverse pupils.

He went on to say that claims Wycombe Abbey was a “hothouse” of exam pressure was too simplistic a reason for his daughter’s death.

Caitlyn’s parents recently paid tribute to their daughter, who they said “had an ability to see the world uniquely”.

On Thursday, they set up a website to honour their daughter, who they say had a “particular passion for the theatre, arts, music and the environment”.

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The webpage, created to “celebrate a beautiful life”, reads: “Caitlyn passed away at Wycombe Abbey School, on Friday 21st April 2023.

“Caitlyn was a well loved member of the Wycombe Abbey community and had a particular passion for the theatre, arts, music, and the environment.

“Caitlyn was gifted with autism and had an ability to see the world uniquely and thrive at her boarding house. The school community, friends, and family are grieving her loss but we are comforted in her personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”

MailOnline reports that, in an email to parents in Caitlyn’s year, the school’s headmistress Jo Duncan said: “They are a close year group and, as you will understand, they are very shocked and upset.

“It is an extremely difficult time for everyone and we will do our utmost to provide the additional pastoral care the girls will need.”

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.