A PROJECT to help children improve their physical and social skills can be launched at Cranham Primary School, Worcester, thanks to an Awards for All Lottery grant.

With the help of the £3,675 award, the school will be able to buy apparatus designed to develop movement and co-ordination, together with video equipment and storage units.

The aim is to start a before-school club for children of primary school age, who have difficulty with a range of movement skills, from holding a pen to getting dressed.

"Most schools have a percentage of children with these problems and we have a lot who would benefit from the project," said music teacher Sarah Boyce.

"We want to develop their skills through fun activities."

The children will play parachute games and be encouraged to use balls, hoops, batons and giant balls, moving them around their bodies and passing them to each other.

They will be able to practise balancing by walking along planks with different surfaces, gripping with bare feet and experiencing the feel of various textures.

Music will help them develop a sense of rhythm and timing, while the games will help them learn to take turns, as well as moving their bodies in particular ways.

"Sometimes those who have difficulty with co-ordination also have problems interacting with other children, so the ultimate aim is to help develop their learning abilities and their social integration," said Mrs Boyce.

"It is something we have felt a need for, but couldn't do without extra funds, so we are very pleased to have got the Lottery grant, which will enable us to buy the equipment and run it for a year."

"We hope to hold the club five days-a-week for six children at a time, over six weeks.

"It will be quite intensive. We are buying a video camera so that we can record them at the beginning of the first session and show them how they have improved after six weeks."

The club will probably start in January, and it is hoped that parents will want to be involved, perhaps joining in some sessions and helping their children to keep up the activities they enjoy.