Bradford education is set to receive a boost of more than £1.6m in lottery grants for out-of-school learning.

The money from the New Opportunities Fund is split between £1,568,000, for Bradford Council, and £39,390 to go to Dixons City Technology College.

The grant to the council is the biggest ever award of its kind in the region. Over the next three years 69 primary schools will receive £4,000 a year and 14 secondary schools, £15,000 a year.

The money has been allocated to areas where large numbers of pupils qualify for free schools meals. It is aimed at raising achievements by providing wider opportunities outside school for disadvantaged pupils.

Activities will include:

l Homework clubs

l Help with key skills including literacy, numeracy and information technology

l Sports and outdoor activities

l Music, drama range and other creative activities

l Voluntary work in the school and community

l Study weeks or weekends.

"I am delighted that Bradford Council has been awarded £1.5 million of lottery money for schools and their community partners," said education portfolio holder Councillor David Ward (Lib-Dem). "This will fund out-of-school hours learning for disadvantaged young people including sports and arts activities and breakfast and homework clubs."

The lottery money, which is subject to more details being provided about the proposed schemes, comes on top of £300,000 from the Government's Standards funds to be used for the same purpose.

Dixons City Technology College will use its grant of nearly £40,000 to extend two schemes it has already been running with four neighbouring primary schools.

Pupils will be invited with their families to come into the college on two evenings a week to take part in study sessions on information technology, sport and drama.

"We are looking at family learning because research shows it is more effective if parents are involved," said the college's community liaison officer, Kay Johnson.

She said the scheme had been operating on a "shoestring" but the new funding would allow it to double in size and cater for more than 70 pupils. The money would also allow a computer skills summer school for gifted and talented primary school pupils to continue for a third year.

"We are absolutely delighted," said Ms Johnson. "Without this grant we would have had to close these schemes."