Unity City Academy (UCA) on Ormesby Road in Middlesbrough has been named as a lead school in the National Network of Excellence for the Teaching of Computer Science.

The accolade, which is only presented to a number of schools for the teaching of computer science across the country, means that UCA will help to develop and deliver teaching strategies for the subject across the Teesside region.

The academy was singled out thanks to its work throughout the school year to further develop computer science as a dedicated subject area by offering a range of extra curricular activities, holding training events and gaining recognition in national competitions. UCA was also praised for its work with local primary schools and links to colleges in the area as well as local universities.

As part of its status as a lead school, UCA will be hosting a workshop at a national event in Manchester for the Academies Enterprise Trust about the benefits of using the Google education platform as an aid to teaching and learning in the classroom.

This is the latest in a host of accolades for UCA which has this year also been given Ofsted’s rating of ‘good’, a gold ‘Investors in People Award’ and a 2013/14 SSAT Educational Outcomes Award making the academy one of the top 20% in England for student progression.

Steve Daley, director of learning at UCA, said: “This is a great achievement for everyone at UCA as we are again singled out as a leader in the field. Computer science is a vital part of today’s curriculum and we work with students not only in the academy but also at local primary schools in our community to ensure that students gain a thorough understanding using a variety of learning methods.”