The thinker: football has inspired pupils to improve reading and maths

It has also found high levels of attendance at these after-school study clubs, with most participants attending at least 80% of classes.

The project, now involving 38 football teams, was intended to make learning more attractive to pupils who might be less enthusiastic about extra lessons in school.

It was hoped that some of the glamour and excitement of football might rub off onto these study schemes, which were aimed at pupils who had fallen behind in lessons.

And it was hoped that underachieving pupils, particularly boys, might be more motivated to attend lessons when it involved their favourite football team.

Among the big clubs taking part in the scheme are Manchester United, Arsenal, Leeds United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.

The research, carried out by the National Foundation for Educational Research, found improvements at both primary and secondary level in maths and English.

According to researchers, secondary pupils raised their reading ages by an average of six months and mental arithmetic scores by eight months.

"We know that the exciting world of football, as a background to learning, helps pupils keep up to speed in the key skills of literacy, numeracy and ICT," said the School Standards Minister Stephen Timms.

And he said he was pleased that Playing for Success had "hit its target group of pupils who are struggling".