Luna Wong

Luna Wong was a sixteen year old student from Hong Kong who moved to the United Kingdom to study for her A-levels. <cite index="1-2">She had struggled with anxiety and depression in Hong Kong during years disrupted by political unrest and the pandemic, and hoped that studying in Britain would offer a fresh start.</cite> <cite index="1-3">She was fluent in English and fascinated by psychology, and enrolled in September 2022 at Wrekin College in Shropshire.</cite> As a young teenager she liked to walk to a bridge near her home and sit for a while, part of <cite index="6-1">a particular way of observing the world, which she expressed through photography</cite>.

Her parents, Thomas Wong and Hilda Leong, <cite index="1-3">disclosed diagnoses including depression and anxiety and arranged a UK education guardian</cite> when Luna began her studies in England. During her time at school she self-harmed, and <cite index="6-2">school staff phoned Luna's parents in Hong Kong to inform them about the self-harm and tried repeatedly to reach her psychiatrist and contacted the local child and adolescent mental health service.</cite> <cite index="6-2">That referral lapsed when Luna, who was 16, refused to consent, and a later safeguarding review found the referral could actually have proceeded without consent.</cite>

Under pressure to manage the risk, <cite index="6-2">staff suggested that her parents appoint a different guardian, recommending a woman who was originally from Hong Kong and spoke Cantonese and already acted for other Wrekin students from China and Hong Kong.</cite> <cite index="6-2">The new guardian was also Aegis-accredited but had no formal training in child mental health, self-harm or suicidal ideation.</cite> As her exams approached, <cite index="1-3">Luna returned to Hong Kong for breaks but decided to continue her studies in Britain, and her guardian recommended a costly two week residential psychology summer programme in London run by a private provider using university halls.</cite> <cite index="1-3">On arrival in July 2023, Luna managed a large regime of prescription medication without the structured supervision she had received at school, and she soon told her counsellor she wished to withdraw.</cite>

Luna died in London a short time later. <cite index="1-1">At her inquest, a conclusion of suicide was recorded.</cite> <cite index="1-1">The proceedings highlighted missed opportunities for clinical assessment, confusion over consent for referrals, gaps in information sharing and weak oversight of residential courses for minors.</cite> Safeguarding reviewers recommended statutory regulation for education guardians and clearer protocols for at risk international pupils.

Luna's parents have since spoken publicly, saying <cite index="1-1">a system that profits from international students failed to keep their daughter safe after she moved to Britain for A-levels and later died in London at the age of 16.</cite> <cite index="1-1">They describe paying significant fees to schools, guardians and a residential summer course, yet felt excluded from key decisions and poorly informed about escalating risks to their child's mental health.</cite> Their account has drawn attention to <cite index="6-1">a private education industry that has grown increasingly reliant on the fees international students bring, propped up by a patchwork of private companies that profit from these children while carrying almost none of the legal obligations that would normally come with caring for them.</cite>