Frequently Asked Questions

What do the level symbols on the site mean?
The level symbols refer to the English primary school year group the contributing teacher originally used the resources with. Any rating is approximate. You should always check the suitability of any resource before using it with your students. The table below shows how the English & Welsh primary year groups relate to other educations systems in English speaking schools.

Foundation Stage (Early Years)			Key Stage 1 (Infants)		Key Stage 2 (Juniors)				Key Stage 3+
England & Wales
	Nursery	Reception	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5	Year 6
Age:	<4 yrs	4-5yrs	5-6 yrs	6-7 yrs	7-8 yrs	8-9 yrs	9-10 yrs	10-11 yrs	11yrs +
Scotland	Nursery		Primary 1	Primary 2	Primary 3	Primary 4	Primary 5	Primary 6	Primary 7
N. I.		Primary 1	Primary 2	Primary 3	Primary 4	Primary 5	Primary 6	Primary 7
R.O.I.		Jr Infants	Sr Infants	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th
US			Kindergarten	Grade 1	Grade 2	Grade 3	Grade 4	Grade 5
Canada			Kindergarten	Grade 1	Grade 2	Grade 3	Grade 4	Grade 5	Grade 6
NZ		Year 0	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5	Year 6
NZ (Old)		New Entrants	Junior 1	Junior 2	Standard 1	Standard 2	Standard 3	Standard 4
Australia*		Kindergarten	Prep/R'ption	Grade 1	Grade 2	Grade 3	Grade 4	Grade 5	Grade 6

LA = Lower Ability, MA = Middle Ability, HA = Higher Ability
- Resources designed to support learners with English as an additional language
- Resources designed for special schools or for students with special educational needs

Comparisons between different education systems are approximate due to variations in school years. The table has also been compiled using Internet sources. If you teach in one of the countries above and know better then please let us know so we can correct the table. (* Australian year group names vary in different areas)

Approximate Assessment Levels:
England & Wales	-		Levels 1-3 during Key Stage Level 2 by end of Key Stage		Levels 2-5 during Key Stage Level 4 by end of Key Stage
Age:	<4 yrs	4-5yrs	5-6 yrs	6-7 yrs	7-8 yrs	8-9 yrs	9-10 yrs	10-11 yrs	11yrs +
Scotland	-		approximately Level A		approximately Level B / C			Level D / E

English/Welsh levels and age groups are used throughout the site, unless expressly stated otherwise.

What do the file type symbols on the site mean?
The following table shows what all the different file type symbols on the site stand for. Click on each one for more details.

.PDF

.DOC

.PUB

.XLS

.SWF

.PPT

.XBK

.ET

.FLP

.EXE

What are Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) files and how do I read them?
PDF files are Portable Document Format files. They are a file format developed by Adobe that allow print documents to be read by a large number of different types of computers and devices. To read PDF files you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader (or the equivalent for your machine) installed. You can download the program for free on Adobe's website: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readermain.html
Some users may experience problems with the Acrobat plug-in after upgrading to a more recent version of Internet Explorer. We recommend you reinstall the plug-in if you experience problems.

There may be printing issues with some of the older PDF files depending on the fonts you have installed on your system. The print output may occasionally be garbled or have letters badly formatted. If you experience these problems you can try copying the text from the PDF file (by highlighting it in the usual way, clicking edit and copy (on a PC)) and pasting it into your word processor where you can change the font and edit it before printing out your own version of the worksheet. Some of the older PDF files do not seem to work correctly with newer versions of Adobe's Acrobat Reader.

What are Word (.doc) files and how do I read them?
Word (.doc) files are documents that have been created using Microsoft Word. If you don't have Microsoft Word then many other word processors open Word documents. Alternatively you can download the free Word viewer from Microsoft Office Online. Search for Word viewer.
Some users may also wish to try the free Open Office software suite.

What are Publisher (.pub) files and how do I read them?
Publisher (.pub) files are documents that have been created using Microsoft Publisher. You cannot view Publisher files without owning a copy of Microsoft Publisher.

What are Excel (.xls) files and how do I read them?
Excel (.xls) files are documents that have been created using Microsoft Excel. If you don't have Microsoft Excel then many other spreadsheet packages open Excel documents. Alternatively you can download the free Excel viewer from Microsoft Office Online. Search for Excel viewer. Many of the Excel files on this site use macros to provide interactivity. We recommend that you scan all downloads with an up-to-date virus checker before using them, particularly when you enable features such as macros.

What are Powerpoint (.ppt) files and how do I read them?
Powerpoint (.ppt) files are documents that have been created using Microsoft Powerpoint. If you don't have Microsoft Powerpoint then many other presentation packages open Powerpoint documents. Alternatively you can download the free Powerpoint viewer from Microsoft Office Online. Search for Powerpoint viewer.

What are Flash (.swf) files and how do I read them?
Flash (.swf) files are material that have been created using Macromedia Flash. You can view this material online but you need to have installed the free Macromedia Flash browser plug-in.

What are SMART Notebook (.nbk, .xbk or.notebook) files and how do I read them?
SMARTnotebook (.nbk or .xbk or .notebook) files are presentations created for SMART technology's series of boards. The software to view these presentations is free to download (from the Smart website) but please check the terms of use before you install it. Files of this kind are normally zipped to prevent problems with downloading and will need to be unzipped before you use them. The latest version of these files (.notebook) require SMARTboard software version 9.5 or better.

What are Easiteach (.et) files and how do I read them?
Easiteach (.et) files are presentations created using RM's Easiteach program. Click these links for a free Easiteach file reader (PC & Mac): Location 1 / Location 2 / Location 3 / Location 4

What are ActiveBoard (.flp) files and how do I read them?
ActivBoard (.flp) files are presentations created using Promethean's interactive whiteboard program. See the Promethean website for details. Promethean now also provide a free Activ Flipchart viewer with limited functionality for those who do not have a Promethean board.

What are .exe files and how do I use them?
(.exe) files are Microsoft Windows program files.

What do the other symbols on the site mean?

	- resource translated into Welsh
	- interactive whiteboard / data projector teaching resource
	- resource designed to match the New Primary National Strategy Frameworks (UK)
	- Scottish Primary level reference
	- New Zealand level reference