It is inevitable that most school exams will soon be computer based. It might not happen next year or even the year afterwards, but it is going to happen, because the advantages are clear and significant.

Computer-based exams will mean less marking, faster results, less paper and none of the hugely expensive logistics required to move millions of exam papers around the country. And where certain exams still have to be manually assessed, if they are typed then their legibility is always guaranteed.

But will pupils be prepared? For pupils to be able to perform well they won’t just need to know their subject. They will need the skills to be able to get it down in the time allowed. So their keyboard skills will have to be more than adequate with the ability to type fast and accurately, preferably at around 40 words per minute. The problem is, in a recent survey conducted by Type&Test Ltd – a company that specialises in online typing training for schools – whilst 80% of schools think it’s a good idea to provide typing training for pupils, only around 15% do so, and many of those are using woefully inadequate free online programs.

So the majority of pupils are typing at less than 20 words per minute, which is slower than handwriting speed, and their accuracy is poor.

Now is the time to address pupils’ typing skills. Even if computer-based exams don’t arrive in the next five years, pupils are using computers regularly today. So it makes sense to give them the skills now that will benefit them so much in the years ahead, not just for those school exams but beyond when they go on to further or higher education and enter the world of work.

The problem is that most schools don’t have the budget or the time to deliver typing training in class. So Type&Test has come up with a solution called ‘Practise at Home’. You can find out more about this exciting and innovative scheme by clicking here. Rather than dig a hole in your budget, it will earn your school extra income.

If your school does have a budget for typing training and the Practise at Home scheme is not for you, then Type&Test has a range of options, using the highest quality online courseware, outlined on its web site at www.typeandtest.com . Simply complete their online enquiry form and you will be emailed more information without obligation. Or you can telephone them on 01480 861867 if you want to chat through the options.

What is the most cost-effective and time-saving way of increasing student engagement within maths lessons?

That question involves two vital concepts: getting the students more engaged without your having to spend ever more time and money in doing so. 

The answer, I firmly believe, is to make maths ever more graphic, while at the same time using a system that is as near to intuitive as possible, and which allows work that has been prepared, to be shared constantly with all the students to whom it is relevant. 

And there is the question of using photos and images as backgrounds in order to bring STEM topics to life. You might well want to import a sports or architectural photo, fit a curve and find its equation. 

In fact you might well want to bring in any data, and analyse statistics with ease, and visualise maths concepts and models in 2D and 3D. 

There’s lots of software out there, but nothing until now which ticks all those boxes, and which every maths teacher in your school can learn to use within the hour. 

Better still, it works on interactive whiteboards, PCs, Macs, and is controllable by tablets and iPads. 

All your graphic activities and explorations can be utilised by students anywhere – this year, next year, and the year after. Licences are permanent – there’s no future cost. 

It’s a lot to ask, but there is software that does all this. It is the very latest edition of Autograph, complete with its expanded and improved image handling, dynamic geometry and exportation to dynamic web pages. 

If you would like further information or you would like to see examples of Autograph being used in the classroom, take a look at our website.

Alternatively, please do give us a call on 01204 811001.

This study guide to Spain under Ferdinand and Isabella and Charles I provides invaluable information and guidance for GCE students looking at this period of history. It gives a comprehensive description and explanation of events setting them in the context of the prevailing political, social, religious and economic influences. It looks in particular at the religious policy of the crown and the effect this had on the Church.

As well as an insight into the dynamics of the period, Spain 1469 to 1522 gives advice on how to structure essay questions in order to achieve better grades.

The book is available in photocopiable format so you only need only buy one copy which you can then share with colleagues and pupils as you wish. Sample pages and a contents list can be viewed at http://pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/history/T1673.pdf

ISBN: 978 1 86083 715 9; Order code: T1673emn

The volume is available as…

• Photocopiable report in a ring binder, £19.95 plus £3.95 delivery
• CD with school-wide rights: £19.95 plus £3.95 delivery
• Both the Ring Binder and the CD £26.94 plus £3.95 delivery

Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the book or CD…

• By post to First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Way, Corby, NN17 4HH
• On the phone with a school order number at 01536 399 011
• By fax to 01536 399 012
• On line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=490