A school has been selected as one of 32 elite maths hubs throughout England.

Kesgrave High School achieved the status after a rigorous application process, and will now co-ordinate an exchange process between teachers in Suffolk and China.

The programme is designed to improve maths teaching throughout Suffolk, and will see around 50 teachers from China coming to the county to offer “masterclasses”.

Deputy head teacher at Kesgrave High School, Tim Legg, said the school was “ecstatic” about the news.

“We’re really, really excited and thrilled to be part of such a major initiative,” he said.

“I think it will allow us to further continue our work with our local partners.

“Suffolk and Norfolk has an outstanding practice in various pieces and our job will be to highlight the best practice wherever it is and to share it with everybody else. Part of that process will be us up-skilling our own staff.”

Education minister Liz Truss said: “There is no reason why children in England cannot achieve the same standards in maths as those in Japan, Singapore and China. We put in more resources in England than in these countries and we have the best generation of teachers ever.

“We must learn from the systematic practice of these high achieving countries, who are constantly seeking to improve.”