PUPILS turned up to class today in tuxedos and dresses, after their final stretch of school was thwarted by coronavirus.

Across the country, pupils in Year 11 and Year 13 are coming to terms with the sudden announcement that they will not be able to sit GCSE or A-Level exams.

Many schools have cancelled end-of-year trips and could have to do the same for their traditional leavers' proms in summer, having had no assurances that they will reopen before the end of the academic year.

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Children and teenagers had just two days' notice that they would not be attending school for the foreseeable future, bringing years of studying to an abrupt and anticlimactic end.

Year 13 pupils at Wallingford School have made the best out of a bad situation, however, arriving at the gate this morning in smart suits and dresses to mark their unexpected last day.

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Bow ties and ball gowns have been worn by Year 13 pupils today

The school had already organised a non-uniform day in aid of Aspire Oxfordshire, and their leavers decided to turn the occasion into a prom-like celebration.

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Chi Braley, whose 18-year-old sister Marita Clarke was among them, said her sibling is hoping to get into medical school.

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Wallingford pupil Marita Clarke, left, with a friend at school today

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Dressed-up pupils posed for photos so they can look back on their last day

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She said: "She's been studying for her exams every day - she's pretty gutted. I think the majority are.

"There will be no proper finish, no farewell summer ball, nothing."

She said she hoped their efforts would 'lift up Year 13s around the country'.

The academic year ends for most schools on July 21, but many people predict that schools will not reopen until after the summer holidays.

Schools will still look after vulnerable pupils and key workers' children, despite closing to the majority of others.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a press conference about the length of closure: "We will try to keep it to an absolute minimum. I wish I could give you an answer for how long it is going to be."