A POOLE primary school bade a fond farewell to its Year 6s when it staged a special graduation ceremony for them.

Manorside Academy hosted the send-off for all 40 of its final year students as they said goodbye to primary school and looked to their future at secondary school.

And the ceremony is as grand as any university graduation.

All the students wore smart blue gowns and mortar boards and were handed their diplomas by the Mayor of Poole, Cllr Xena Dion.

Associate Principal Sarah Rempel said: “This is a very moving occasion for all of us – the staff, the students and of course their parents and families.

“We have seen the children develop from tiny four year-olds to a group of very mature 11-year-olds who have done the school very proud.

“After seven years of watching them developing into a very special group of young people we feel it is only fitting that we will bid them farewell in style.”

Manorside Academy in Evering Avenue was established in April 2015 under the sponsorship of Ambitions Academy Trust (AAT).

As well as receiving their diplomas in front of friends and families, the students were also honoured by the AAT CEO Phil Minns, the Trust’s director of primary education, Alex Prout, and the chairman of AAT’s academy advisory committee, Steve Welch.

After the ceremony afternoon tea was held for all the guests in Manorside's brand new food tech suite.

Mr Minns said: “Since becoming CEO of Ambitions I have been touring all our schools and seeing first-hand the great work that is taking place in all of them.

“It was an honour to attend the graduation of Manorside’s Year 6 students and see what fine young men and women they are becoming. We wish them every success in their secondary education.”

To find out more about the school go to manorside-academy.co.uk.