A WYCOMBE Abbey student was found dead at school the day before her first-ever detention, an inquest heard.

Caitlyn Scott-Lee, 16, was discovered in Wycombe Abbey school in Buckinghamshire on April 12 last year.

Beaconsfield Coroner's Court heard the teen was due to take part in detention the following day after alcohol was found in her locker.

The father of Caitlyn  paid tribute to his “daddy’s girl” at an inquest into her death.

Senior banker Jonathan Scott-Lee told the inquest: "I – her very own father – failed to help my daughter envision a life full of hope. Whatever she may have felt in the moments leading up to her death, I respect her agency whilst disliking her decision.Mr Scott-Lee said his daughter, like him, was autistic.

Jonathan explained how he had looked through a photo book before the inquest and was "surprised at how full a life Caitlyn lived in 6,041 days".

He said his daughter obtained a scuba diving licence aged just 10, played tennis in Scotland, modelled in Singapore and rode in helicopters in New Zealand.

"Caitlyn was so much more than autism, Wycombe Abbey, and detention."

"Caitlyn was a Daddy’s girl. I took care of her, dressed her, cuddled her, fed her, and soothed her.

"There was a fierce precociousness in Caitlyn’s love of learning. She loved learning for its own sake preferring to take joy in interesting information rather than develop strategies to merely pass exams.

"In the months before her death, she would be able to name the flags of each nation; she was someone you would want on your pub quiz team!"

"Shortly before her GCSEs were due to begin, she wanted to drop English Literature; language skills such as inference could be challenging but moreover, she maturely pursued a love of learning over an accumulation of grades.

"Like most people, she wanted to do well in everything she signed up for. Of course, we listened to her and yielded although I wonder whether I should have more actively taught her to persevere in an imperfect world, rather than prematurely leap into a perfect heaven."

The inquest was told staff had searched for Caitlyn after she failed to return in time for curfew at her boarding school accommodation.

She was then tragically found in a secluded area of the school that night.

The inquest continues.