A schoolboy has died after apparently jumping from a bridge, police said last night.

The body of Matthew Curry, a pupil at Newcastle Grammar School, was found below the Tyne Bridge.

A Northumbria Police spokeswoman said family and friends of the 16-year-old, from Cramlington, Northumberland, had been told of his death.

He apparently jumped from the bridge at about 6pm on Thursday, landing on the quayside below, outside one of the city's fashionable bars.

Newcastle Grammar School headteacher James Miller said that it would be "wrong" to speculate why the schoolboy might have jumped.

"It is a very sad day," Mr Miller said.

"Our thoughts and sympathies are with the parents and his brother, who is also a member of the school. There are a lot of very tearful people around the school.''

Mr Miller said Matthew was an enthusiastic member of the school's Combined Cadet Force and was about to apply to gain a commission in the Army - a "readily achievable goal for a young man of such calibre and character".

Mr Miller added: "Everyone here is devastated at Matthew's death. He was a young man of considerable ability but perhaps best regarded for the wealth of his personal qualities.

"He was utterly reliable, considerate of others and courteous to those around him."

Matthew had won a Community Sports Leader's Award after helping coach younger boys' rugby.