The North School have been named School of the Year at the Kent LTA awards.

It comes after a stellar year of development at the Ashford-based school, which has seen more than 70 girls take part in their all-girls tennis Academy and more than 300 students receive coaching in structured blocks of tennis lessons during PE curriculum time.

Head tennis coach Andrew Sunderland said: “We’ve really tried to embed tennis into the culture of the school and create more opportunities for girls to play.

“Being named School of the Year is unbelievable, really, and I’m so happy for everyone involved.”

The North School now move on for consideration at the LTA’s regional awards, which will take place in April after their recent success at Tudor Park Marriott Hotel and Country Club in Bearsted.

In the meantime, they are preparing to deliver an Easter-themed LTA Team Challenge event to kick off the spring and summer season, when they plan to expand the programme further.

Head of PE, Harry Welsby, said: “I’m so proud of what the tennis Academy has managed to achieve in such a short amount of time.

“You can see from the students’ faces that the programme has not only delivered exceptional training but also a healthy dose of joy and passion for the sport.”

For more information about The North School’s tennis Academy, email Sunderland at andrew.sunderland@swale.at or follow @northschooltennis on Instagram.