PUPILS at a primary school are ditching computer games and TV for a shocking new craze - extra maths and English lessons.

Staff at Wythenshawe's Sacred Heart Roman Catholic School have been inundated with youngsters wanting to take advantage of after-school tuition.

Demand for the computer-based sessions has been so great that a team of up to 17 parents has had to be drafted in to help.

The pupils are the first in the North West to try the half-hour classes, which have been developed to concentrate on any gaps in their learning.

After an initial test, children fill in work sheets which are marked automatically by the computer and any mistakes are used to form the basis of the next work sheet produced by the system. Headteacher Peter Eavers said they were astonished at the pupils' enthusiasm for the new venture.

''We have only opened it up to the 10 and 11-year-olds but everybody seems to want to be part of it,'' he said.

''It really is having an impact on their work in class after just three weeks.''

The system has been funded by the Wythenshawe Education Action Zone.

Director Ger Graus said he expected the extra classes to be available at the other 20 schools in the zone by the middle of February.

Tweet