A wide range of Primary classroom activities, reviews and resources has been developed and published over the years originally by MAPE and, more recently since the merger in 2004, by Naace.

This short article aims to highlight the background, key features and current vision of the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) project at Ranvilles Infant School. The full version of this research project is available through the University of Winchester library: Aubrey-Smith, F.S., (2007) 'How the implementation of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) can affect the strategic development of a whole school. MA(Ed) Dissertation. University of Winchester.'

'Sharing Success' is a monthly e-magazine that focuses on schools' and teachers' use of ICT to contribute to successful achievements. Features freqently focus on recent issues, with the opportunity for Members to post comments directly onto each Article.

An ICT Co-ordinator in an infant school decsribes how she has set up an after-school Internet Café for children and their parents.

Anyone who works with pupils who have additional or special educational needs will understand when I say how difficult it has been to try to cover the range of needs that this encompasses. I am delighted to have such a diverse and talented group together in one publication and between them have created a magazine that should have something for everyone and lots more to make you think and consider how your classroom practice could benefit from their experience. I hope you enjoy reading the articles and that you are inspired to try out some new ideas in your classroom.

Sandra O'Neill
Guest editor

Within these pages you'll find many ways in which you can deliver a rich curriculum through a range of topics. We have chosen to focus on just five. For younger children there are some exciting ways to learn about Food. Margaret Allen highlights the versatility of IWBs and Susie Arnott and Marie Hindmarch suggest ways of using stories as a starting point. Andy Pierson brings inspiration and help when teaching music in a Seaside topic. Photographs of beach huts, taken by Roger Keeling, provide a stimulus for mathematical activities.

Welcome to the first edition of Primary Focus in 2008, published to coincide with the BETT Exhibition at Olympia in London (9-12 January 2008). The major positive change to the Primary Focus journal is that, similar to other Naace publications, we are now encouraging Members to contribute and interact with Articles, myself as editor, and other Members - with the idea of stimulating points of view within a continuing professional dialogue.

An ICT Coordinator, Alison Ball, tells us about the websites that she finds most useful.

Fortunately, many organisations offer support to teachers and other professionals working in education, through their websites. Jim Merrett reviews some useful ones.

This Article looks at the Big Books on the Naace Primary website and the Big Book Maker utility which allows you to make similar books of your own. A new and much improved Big Book Maker is available from amongst the Naace Primary resources at http://primary.naace.co.uk/activities/index.htm
Full instructions for making the books are available on the site but I wanted to show you some of what is already available in order to illustrate the kind of thing you and your children might create and also to show how the existing books can be useful across the whole curriculum.
For comment or contributions, including any Big Books created by you or your pupils, please contact me at h.govier@btopenworld.com