A £3.3m National Lottery grant will be used to boost the confidence of thousands of youngsters across the region.

The cash has come from the New Opportunities Fund and includes a grant of £500,000 to help almost 12,000 pupils in County Durham.

The money will be used to develop learning clubs and study centres in dozens of schools across the county.

The clubs will have a less threatening learning environment and will aim to give study support for those in isolated rural communities.

Anne Timothy, County Durham Education Authority partnership development manager, said: "We will have over 130 schools accessing the funding and establishing out-of-school hours activities."

More than £1m will go to a summer school scheme run by Northumberland Local Education Authority Youth Service.

It will be aimed at encouraging youngsters from isolated rural areas, chronic non-attenders and pupils lacking confidence or motivation.

Shirley Costigan, the youth development officer, said they would be working in partnership with local middle and high schools.

"The project will develop a variety of innovative activity-based learning opportunities for young people aged 12-16," she said.

"It will especially target those young people who are disadvantaged or disaffected and need some extra support to reach their full potential."

Other projects include:

£45,300 to Billingham Campus Comprehensive School in Billingham which will aim to improve pupils' self-esteem through literacy, numeracy and ICT classes along with homework and revision clubs; £61,654 to Stockton Local Education Authority which will focus on activities such as science, technology and the arts; £268,166 to Ashington Education Achievement Zone in Northumberland; £522,798 to Gateshead Local Education Authority for a range of out-of-school activities; £736,832 North Yorkshire County Council Connecting Youth Culture aimed at increasing access to the performing arts for pupils at primary schools and 17 secondary schools; £42,647 to Burnholme Community College, York; £10,500 to Burton Green Infant School, York; £11,000 to Derwent Infant School, York and £11,130 to St Lawrence's Primary School, York, which will aim to build self-esteem and motivation by a range of new sports, arts and academic opportunities.