If you want to find out what a school is really like, visit during the lunch break,” says Bob Fletcher, headteacher at Hobbayne primary school in Ealing, west London. “A successful lunch break makes for a successful school.”

By his own admission, there was a time when lunch hours at Hobbayne were less than successful. “There were four or five incidents every day,” he says. “Informal soccer matches would quickly degenerate into arguments. The children lacked the social skills to organise a well-run game.”

But if football was part of the problem it has also been part of the solution: a pound;5,000 grant from the Millennium Awards for All fund has enabled the school to buy in two specialist sports coaches every lunchtime. Recruited through an agency supplying qualified coaches to local sports clubs, they are employed for 90 minutes each day to run organised sessions of football, basketball and rugby.

A strict rota system means every class enjoys at least one session a week under the coaches’ supervision. Participation is not compulsory but almost everyone opts in - even those who would usually steer well clear of a playground kick-about. “Everyone has responded. It’s been great to see the girls involved; they want their own football team now. The coaches aren’t just there to keep order, they also teach correct technique,” says Mr Fletcher.

Secondary schools, too, have been making use of lottery funding to buy in up-to-date coaching skills. Langley Park boys’ school in Kent received more than pound;2,000 from Awards for All, which it used this summer to employ specialist athletics coaches from local club Blackheath Harriers.

For both schools, the experiment has been about more than brushing up ball skills or honing hurdling technique. Guy Thompson, head of PE at Langley, says staff have attended the training sessions as part of their professional development. Watching the experts in action has given them ideas for their own lessons. “Even filling in the application forms has a bright side,” he says cheerfully. “They force you to focus on your objectives and work out exactly how money can be best used.”

At Hobbayne, the emphasis has been on allowing pupils to develop all-important social skills. Bob Fletcher has been amazed by the results. Previously, lunch-hour bust-ups had repercussions beyond the playground. Afternoons could be wasted dealing with offending pupils - and their parents - and lessons after lunch were often taught in an atmosphere of simmering feuds.

“Frenzied free-for-alls have gone. Even those classes not in supervised coaching can see the benefits of a well-ordered game. This week, I haven’t had to speak to one person about poor behaviour during lunch. Pupils settle down much quicker in the afternoon. Everyone’s happier.”

But, he admits, that when the 25-week grant ends, financial restraints could scupper the scheme. “I’m applying for another grant. If that fails I will try to find the money in the budget, but it would only provide for one trainer at most.”

Guy Thompson echoes the view that the experiments have been good value for money. He claims that buying in expertise could be the way forward for improving sports provision in schools. “It’s an excellent use of resources. Every penny of these small grants is put to good use. A little money goes a long way.”

Awards for All

The scheme was set up to distribute money raised through National Lottery ticket sales with the aim of funding community projects celebrating the new millennium. It proved so popular that it was continued on a permanent basis, dropping millennium from its title. The minimum award is pound;500, the maximum pound;5,000. The criteria are that projects should “support community activity, extend access and participation, increase skill and creativity and improve quality of life”.

The scheme is administered by nine regional committees covering England, Wales and Scotland, with different priorities. The first step for a school is to consult its local authority lottery officer for guidance on whether the bid is appropriate, and on how to complete the application form.

Visit the website www.awardsforall.org.uk for details or to download application forms. Decisions are usually made within three months.