A school near Newtown has become the first in Powys to be awarded 'trauma informed' status.

Brynllywarch Hall School, Kerry, has been recognised for supporting children and teenagers who suffer with trauma or mental health problems and whose troubled behaviour acts as a barrier to learning.

The school for children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties is also one of only three schools in Wales to be given the status.

Headteacher Gavin Randell said the school was "delighted" to receive the top award.

"The school is now part of an exclusive club of schools across the UK that can claim to be trauma informed, and it reflects the hard work and effort put in by the management, staff, learners and other agencies involved at Brynllywarch."

A report by Trauma Informed Schools said: "Brynllywarch Hall is a warm, caring environment in which young people thrive because of the outstanding positive relationships that exist between staff and young people. Every adult knows the children well and delights in the success that they achieve, no matter how small that may be. Young people enjoy talking to adults and are able to talk to them about day-to-day events as well as painful life experiences."

"The school has been on a journey of improvement which has resulted in the development of nurturing classes with emotionally available adults that are consistently and readily accessible to the young people. All adults understand that young people need to develop life skills that will enable them to live life well both academically and socially but recognise that wellbeing and positive mental health sits at the heart of that, and is what comes first to make that possible."

The school is situated in a Grade II-listed building that has several facilities set up to help promote positive mental health and wellbeing for the pupils such as a music block with a recording studio, a construction workshop and wellbeing centre. Within the 17-acre grounds there is a school farm for small animals, two forest schools, and a range of play areas.

Trauma Informed Schools UK is an organisation run by leaders in the field of education and child psychology, and are recognised as pioneers in the field of training and improving pupil wellbeing in schools around the UK.