ICT update

Foundation tools

When Xemplar moved out of the PC market to concentrate on Apple it looked as though its handy PC Toolbox had come to the end of the road. But then Lynx Education, set up by a former Xemplar employee, acquired the rights and so this useful package lives on both in its original format, The Primary Toolbox, for children aged five to 11, and in a newer Foundation Stage version. This new Lynx Early Years Toolbox is designed for children aged three to five. It consists of a bundle of eight software programs to support the foundation curriculum, plus a headset or speakers - whichever is more appropriate for your setting, a minimouse (ideal for smaller hands), a mousemat and 12 months' helpline support, all for 215 plus VAT. The Toolbox can either be loaded on to your existing PC, or comes pre-installed on a Fujitsu Siemens computer -an excellent option if you are setting up ICT provision from scratch. The company is happy to discuss which hardware is most suitable for individual requirements, but as a rough guide an entry level machine pre-loaded with a PC Toolbox and with three years' support would cost 800 - 900. On-site demonstrations are available.