A CHEPSTOW primary school hopes to house Ukrainian refugees in a refurbished bungalow on the grounds.

St Mary's RC Primary School, on Old Bulwark Road, Chepstow, has a three-bedroom bungalow on its grounds, which until recently has been used for storage.

The aim is to house two parents and up to six children in the building.

A spokesperson from St Mary's said: "We are all aware of the quite awful situation in Ukraine and the mass exodus of women, children and the elderly into neighbouring countries.

"Together with the support of our local parish St. Mary's RC Church and the governing body at St. Mary's RC Primary School, we are exploring plans to open up our school bungalow as a safe haven for any Ukrainian families in need.

"We are a caring, nurturing school and we wanted to demonstrate to our pupils that there are many ways to help others around the world."

The refurbishment project has been estimated to cost between £3,000 and £4,000, with a projected timeframe of two weeks.

"The families we hope to host will be made most welcome by the whole school community," the school spokesperson said.

"We have an outstanding staff team here at St. Mary's who are fully trained in supporting children's wellbeing and are ready welcome children with open hearts."

The school says it has all the facilities needed to help children adapt to the change in moving to Chepstow, as well as staff trained in helping children through trauma.

"We have been overwhelmed by the response of the members within our school and the wider community, offering their help and support," they said.

"What a fitting way for our local community in Chepstow to be supporting an international crisis."

On Monday, the UK Government launched its ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme, which will allow individuals, charities, community groups and businesses to bring people fleeing the war to safety – even if they have no ties to the UK.

Sponsors can nominate a named Ukrainian individual or family to stay with them in their home, or offer a separate property for them to use rent-free.

It's estimated that as many as 2.5 million people have fled their homes in Ukraine, following Russia's invasion last month.