A school which is attracting a growing interest in football among its female population, has gained a top award from the Football Association.

Durham Johnston School has enjoyed great success on the football field, with no fewer than ten teams at different age ranges and across the sex divide.

Its football coaching has been recognised with the award of an FA Charter Standard Schools' regional award, for the second year running.

Durham Johnston was one of only ten schools nationally to receive the FA accolade for its "outstanding contribution" towards the development of football opportunities for both boys and girls.

PE teacher Andrew Bell travelled to Crystal Palace's Selhurst Park ground, in London, to receive a plaque marking the charter award, prior to the Women's FA Cup final, between Fulham and Doncaster Belles, earlier this month.

The Johnston school girls' under-14s team added to the roll of honour by winning the Durham County Cup for the fifth successive year.

An impressive 7-2 victory against Pennywell School, from Sunderland, including a double hat-trick by captain Laura Race, kept the cup in the Durham Johnston trophy cabinet for another year.

John Sinclair, a qualified FA coach, has helped to oversee the rise to prominence of football at the school.

"To be eligible to win the award a school needs at least one teacher with an FA coaching certificate.

"I got my coaching badge at college 38 years ago, so it has proved quite useful.

"Football has become much more popular among girls in recent years and now, as soon as they start here, we have trials in the first week of term.

"We now run four girls' teams, and they get every opportunity to play at the highest level possible."

The school's football reputation is growing and it was chosen as a base for a coaching course run by Newcastle United earlier in the academic year, with many of Durham Johnston girls going on to represent the club, and almost reaching a national final.