A 16-year-old girl has been found dead in the grounds of the prestigious Wycombe Abbey school in Buckinghamshire.

The teenager, who was a pupil at the £33,000 a year boarding school, was found in the grounds shortly before midnight on Friday, police confirmed.

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said the death was being treated as unexplained but not suspicious.

In a statement, the headmistress of Wycombe Abbey School, Jo Duncan, said: “We are deeply saddened by the news of the death of one of our students. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends at this difficult time.”

A spokesman for the school also added that support would be offered to all staff and students who had been affected by the tragedy.

In a statement, a police spokesman said: “Thames Valley Police was called to the Wycombe Abbey School at around 11.40pm on Friday 21 April after a 16-year-old girl was sadly found to have died.

“Her death is being treated as unexplained but not suspicious and a file is being prepared for the coroner.”

Wycombe Abbey, which was founded in 1896, has almost 700 pupils with the majority boarding.