A SCHOOL for pupils with additional learning needs has been named the 'most thanked school' in Wales.

Ysgol Tir Morfa in Rhyl secured the title through the Teaching Awards Trust's Thank a Teacher campaign.

As part of the campaign, students, staff, and parents at the school have been sending thank you cards to their teachers.

Cards have been sent via the online portal between colleagues, and from children or parents to their teachers, in a collective effort to praise and acknowledge the individuals going the extra mile.

Rhona O’Neill, headteacher at Ysgol Tir Morfa, said: "Sending thank you cards through the Thank a Teacher campaignhas been a wonderful morale booster for our staff and families.

"Our staff do what they do because they love it, not because they receive praise for it. But that doesn’t mean that a thank you every now and again doesn’t mean a whole lot.

"For our community to recognise the challenges of this year and tell us that they feel thankful for the work teachers and staff are doing feels wonderful, and spreading that joy costs nothing at all.”

The Thank a Teacher campaign is a year-around effort to draw attention to the "amazing work" of teachers across the UK, culminating with Thank a Teacher day on June 16.

Anyone can send a card; children, students, parents, grandparents and colleagues.

Particularly outstanding thank you cards can also lead to teachers being put forward for the Pearson National Teaching Awards, where winners may have the opportunity to appear on the BBC’s The One Show.

Mary Palmer, chief executive of the Teaching Awards Trust, said: "The Thank a Teacher campaign is all about spreading appreciation. The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us all how incredible schools, teachers and support staff really are. They have superbly navigated the waters in a rapidly changing environment, adapting to remote learning, periods of isolation, and the differing needs of their pupils.

"We are delighted to see so many thank you cards being sent to Ysgol Tir Morfa, and encourage everyone to send their own lovely messages to their teachers and schoolstaff members." They deserve it"