FOUR primary schools in York are to share more than £50,000 in lottery cash to pay for out-of- school activities.

Derwent Junior School, in Tang Hall and Fishergate, New Earswick and Tang Hall Primaries will all receive cash over the next three years from the National Lottery's New Opportunities Fund.

Derwent has been allocated the largest amount at £14,717, and head teacher Phil Hare said it would pay for extending the range of activities already on offer.

He said: "We questionnaired the children before we made the bid to find out what they would like to do.

"The things they came up with were an art club, a reading club and a computer club - lots of things that are linked with school.

"That is the idea behind it. We are encouraging them to take part in out-of-school activities which will make learning fun for them, and if they can see it's fun after school hopefully they can transfer that into school as well."

The Lottery cash will also be used to start up a breakfast club.

Over at the other side of Tang Hall, another grant of £11,023 will go towards the running of Tang Hall Primary School's Children's University.

The Saturday-morning university, which was launched in September, runs activities ranging from circus skills to Japanese, and again is aimed at motivating children, both out-of-school and in.

Head teacher Paul Prest said: "The university is attended regularly by 60 children and 14 are in the advanced maths class."

"We're delighted at this funding but we still need to find more funding for the university."

Fishergate Primary will get £12,054 to pay for a 90-minute long after-school study club, and New Earswick will get £13,952 to spend on lunchtime-based out of school hours learning activities.

* Mr Prest is to leave Tang Hall Primary at Easter after two years. He will be moving to a management role developing school improvement initiatives in Leeds.