TWO centres of excellence are to open in the region to spearhead a national drive to revive science teaching skills in the area.

The Department for Education and Skills (DFES) is launching a £51m network of nine Science Learning Centres to offer high-quality professional development for science teachers and technicians.

York University is to be the primary National Science Learning Centre, and Framwellgate School, in Durham, will be the base for the North-East centre.

Recent confirmation of funding by the DFES should see both centres up and running within two years.

The York centre is part of the White Rose University Consortium, with input from three other Yorkshire universities.

Framwellgate School's £2m centre is backed by Durham, Newcastle, Sunderland and Teesside universities, the Life Knowledge Park, in Newcastle, Northumbrian Water and Nissan Motor Manufacturing.

Both centres will offer teachers access to newly furbished laboratories, advanced information technology equipment, and innovative courses covering education strategies, traditional science research and developments across business and industry.

Professor John Holman, of York University, who led the White Rose bid for the national centre, said: "Between us, we have the expertise to reconnect science teachers to the frontiers of their subject, to help them acquire new skills and ideas for inspired teaching."

The National Centre should be open by Autumn next year, while the nine regional centres, including Framwellgate School, should open by September.

Framwellgate School headteacher Joan Sjovoll said: "We've worked extremely hard to bring about this project and we're delighted to host it and contribute in a significant way to the development of the centre. It's very exciting to have achieved this, after a very competitive tender process."