Warwick Academy held its first Valedictory Service to say farewell to the class of 2016.

The service is intended to allow the class to bridge the gap from students to alumni and to cross the Old Quad — something that they are not usually allowed to do during school — and be cheered off by the rest of the school.

A spokeswoman for the school said: “The thinking behind the service is an opportunity for the school as a whole to formally and informally say farewell to the Class of 2016, thank the students for their valuable contribution they have given over the years to the school, draw on the emotive of school traditions and build on the idea that they are now alumni with a responsibility to keep in contact.

“It is also an opportunity for something lighthearted (not possible in the Graduation Ceremony) awards/messages to be delivered to the students in more personal surroundings and it gives us the chance to create another memory that will link the students back to the school.”