The headteacher of a school where two pupils killed themselves within a fortnight defended his anti-bullying policy at an inquest today. Gemma Dimmick, 15, of Ashington, Northumberland, took an overdose of Co-proxamol painkillers in June last year, just as 16-year-old pupil Karl Peart had done two weeks earlier.

Both families claimed their children were subjected to persistent bullying while studying at the town's Hirst High School.

But headteacher Ged Lee vigorously defended the school at the hearing today, saying his anti-bullying policies had been found to be ''exemplary''.

Gemma was found in her bed by her stepmother, Denise, and several notes were found addressed to different people, coroner Ian McCreath heard today.

He returned a verdict of suicide following a 90-minute hearing today, just as he did at last week's Alnwick Magistrates' Court hearing into Karl's death.

During the inquest at Wansbeck General Hospital, Gemma's father Peter, an unemployed sales manager, claimed: ''She was persistently bullied by lots of people.

''The school was very aware of the fact she was very, very unhappy.''

He saw her being attacked on one occasion and claimed, she was verbally abused by bigger girls.

At previous schools there were ''no great problems'' he claimed.

''Not to the extent that she was screaming 'I'm not going to school'.''

Gemma's natural mother, Patricia, had died and Gemma lived with her father and stepmother Denise, who was previously married to Peter's brother, Brian. Gemma lived with Denise's four children but lived for a short time with Peter's younger sister who enrolled her in Hirst High School in May 2002. In the months before her death she moved back into the parental home in George Street, Ashington. The inquest was told Peter and Denise married just weeks before Gemma took her own life. Giving evidence Denise told the coroner she believed bullying was a contributory factor to Gemma's decision. She accepted there was no mention of bullying in any of the notes Gemma left. Headteacher Mr Lee, in charge of the school since September 1999, told the inquest a thorough investigation had been carried out following the two suicides. He said: ''The school has been subjected to very extensive investigations from the Secretary of State, the local education authority and Ofsted. ''They have all said the school's procedures are exemplary.'' Mr Lee said there was no evidence Gemma was bullied at school, but said she was involved in a number of disputes. ''Gemma was a vibrant young lady, but she was forthright and assertive, occasionally too assertive, and she was quite capable of holding her own. ''A common symptom of teenagers is that they fall out with each other. ''Every issue that came to our attention, we dealt with robustly.'' The coroner expressed his sympathy to Gemma's family and to the staff and pupils of Hirst High. Mr McCreath said: ''I am acutely conscious of the hugely disturbing course of events that took place in relation to these two deaths.'' Neither the headteacher nor Gemma's family wished to comment after the hearing.