"WE'RE in school and learning stuff but we don't have to do lots and lots of work like you do in class," says Hannah Fowle, a pupil at New Earswick Primary School in York.

Hannah, ten, is colouring in a picture marked with French words with her friend Sarah Deacon, also ten, at one of the school's new "lunchtime learning" sessions.

Once a week, her group from Year Five spend most of their lunch hour at either Word Power, Magic Maths, Incredible ICT, Fame and Friends (drama and social activities) or Lingo Learn.

The sessions are funded by almost £14,000 in lottery cash won by the school from the New Opportunities Fund over three years and are run by non-teaching staff Kate Green and Jane Farrall.

The number of lunchtime and after-school clubs involving classroom-subjects-made-fun is increasing across the region all the time.

Head teacher Carole Farrar said New Earswick had chosen lunchtime sessions because more children would have the opportunity to go to them and half the pupils in Years Two to Six had signed up, each year attending on a different day.

Children use different stationery to their ordinary lessons and get stickers for their attendance. They fill in opinion survey forms every week.

There is even a slogan: "Lunchtime learning keeps the imagination burning", thought up by ten-year-old Bob Hunt.

Hannah and Sarah said they were enjoying their Lingo Learn session, which involved them learning some basic French greetings.

Sarah said: "It's really fun, you draw pictures and play games."

And Hannah added: "We're going to France this year so my mum was really pleased when I told her I was learning French."

Miss Farrar said: "They are proud of being in it and then there's the enjoyment factor and the fact they've got some say in their learning.

"It's giving them the chance to be successful in something beyond the classroom. I'm really glad we've done it."

Updated: 11:16 Wednesday, May 01, 2002