Councillors closed a case file on troubled schoolgirl Francis Scane months before she took her own life, an inquest heard.

The hearing on Wednesday came days after friends in Year 11 at John of Gaunt School in Trowbridge released balloons in her memory as they left the school following the end of GCSEs.

The inquest in Trowbridge heard the 15-year-old, of Railway Close, Westbury, had told social workers she took a variety of drugs, had suicidal thoughts and heard voices in her head.

They referred her to CAMHS, the NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service.

But after she failed to turn up for her appointment in July 2010 the case was closed and on September 11 her mother Carole Scane returned from the shops to find her hanged.

Francis hid her depression and drug addiction to protect her mother, the inquest was told. She asked social workers, who she confided in, not to tell her parents.

She received support from her GP, staff at John of Gaunt and a substance misuse worker from Motivate.

She told the workers that she had been taking cannabis since she was 13, 1g of cocaine per week and other drugs including ketamine, amphetamines, ecstasy, magic mushrooms, M-Cat, and liquid acid.

Susanna Wheller, assistant pastoral support manager for John of Gaunt, was praised for supporting Francis in her darkest hours.

She said: “She knew that she could come to me for support but she would know when to stop if I asked questions that she felt would lead to me having to take further action.

“She loved her mother and wanted to protect her from what was happening and make her proud.”

Dr Rosie Shepherd, clinical director for CAMHS at the time of Francis’ death, said staff had not had enough information.

She said: “We were not made aware of the serious concerns of the self harming and voices that she was hearing.

“We just dealt with her as a routine case looking at depression.

“There is some shared agreement as to what the risk is if the person doesn’t attend.

“That did not happen in 2010. We have since done a lot of work with agency partners so they can discuss risky cases.

“As part of our new service we have an outreach scheme to work with young people. We can get out into the community if people do not attend their appointments.”

Peter Hatvany, Deputy Coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon, said he was satisfied that enough had been done by CAMHS since Francis’ death to ensure a similar tragedy does not happen again.