A Suffolk teacher has been awarded a distinguished honour from technology giant Apple.

Hamish Mackenzie, head of digital learning at Royal Hospital School in Holbrook, has been recognised as an Apple Distinguished Educator for his outdoor learning work.

Only 6% of 1,500 applications were successful.

Mr Mackenzie delivered a presentation and received training at an Apple event in Windsor this summer.

He said: “At the Royal Hospital School we have a rich history of outdoor education and trips beyond the confines of the classroom.

“It was when we were in Iceland that I noticed the depth of understanding that came from exploring the geography we had learnt about in class, and how our students were capturing all this data through photos, time lapses, videos and audio recordings. My central point was that if students own the data and are responsible for collecting and creating content, the learning associated with it is deeper and it sticks.

“Of course not all lessons can happen in Icelandic glacial lagoons but data captured on iOS devices can be used in a huge variety of educational contexts to deepen knowledge and understanding.

“Last year my pupils used GPS tracking from windsurf boards and sailing dinghies to plot progress across our local reservoir, Alton Water. Simple apps such as Strava and Explain Everything can also be used in this way”.