The mother of a highly intelligent 16-year-old boy who tragically died just weeks after gaining outstanding GCSE results has paid tribute to her son.

Nikolas Brkic, a pupil at Quintin Kynaston School, was featured in the Wood&Vale last August having achieved straight As and A*s in his exams.

At the time the teenager, who lived with his mother in Lorne Place, St John’s Wood, told the paper: “My mum’s going to be really happy.”

But less than a fortnight later Nikolas went missing and his body was found at the bottom of cliffs at Beachy Head, East Sussex.

His mother Jasmina Brkic, 37, said the two of them were “very close” and living together had seemed “perfect”.

“He worked very hard and he was incredibly intelligent,” she said. “He was so happy about his results.

“I think I must have been the only parent telling their child to stop studying and take a break.

“But he loved studying and loved the pressure of working towards something. He always wanted to give his best.”

Nikolas and his mother moved to London from their native Croatia when he was three.

“We were very close,” said Mrs Brkic. “I don’t think we had one argument in the last year.

“It wasn’t like having a teenager at all because he was so mature and easy-going.”

After joining Quintin Kynaston, Nikolas soon made a close-knit group of friends.

“He was very quiet and reserved but he was extremely happy with his friends,” said his mother.

“His dream was to move to Japan. He had never been there before but he had done lots of research and loved the culture and lifestyle over there.

“He wanted to study something like economics or politics at university – something that would mean he could travel overseas.”

Nikolas’s death came after he had kissed his mother on the cheek and told her he was going out with his friends.

The two of them spoke at lunch time and at 6.33pm he sent her a text saying “I love you, Mum”.

An inquest at Eastbourne Coroner’s Court last week heard Nikolas was traced to Beachy Head and his body was found with a suicide note on September 13.

“There was no indication of what he was planning to do,” said Mrs Brkic. “I had no idea.

“There was nothing in his suicide note about why he did it.

“His teacher said he had an aura of sadness but for me he was just reserved. I just remember his big smile.”

A bench and a tree have been placed at Nikolas’s favourite spot at school in his memory.