Community Languages: Over 300 languages are spoken in Britain today and one child in four in Inner London boroughs is bilingual. To support teachers and others working in this area, Becta now has a Community Languages website. It has case studies, information about software and translation engines. Becta is also working in partnership with Coventry LEA, which is developing a collection of Clicker Grids to support newly arrived pupils.

CAP: The Communication Aids Project (CAP) is an attempt to meet the needs of pupils in mainstream and special schools in England who have significant communication difficulties. CAP funding covers an assessment of the pupil, provision of hardware and software, training for school staff, the pupil and the pupil's parents, and an ongoing review. In the first year of the project, 1500 pupils benefited from over £3 million worth of technology. The project, funded by the DfES, is to be extended for a further two years, with an extra £10 million of government funding.

Educate your Dyslexic Child at Home: This website has been set up to provide parents with a comprehensive and up-to-date guide to educating dyslexic children at home. The site includes plenty of practical advice, useful not just for the parents of dyslexic children but for any parent whose children, schooled or otherwise, need help with the basics of the three Rs. The site has extensive guidance on teaching reading, important and surprising research information, full referencing and a compendious resource section.

Dyslexia: A report on a revolutionary exercise programme for children and adults with dyslexia and similar learning difficulties has just been published. David Reynolds of Exeter University, and Rod Nicolson of Sheffield University, who monitored the progress of 35 children in the West Midlands, said those who had undergone the treatment showed "significantly greater improvements" than others in dexterity, reading and verbal fluency. Ten thousand children and adults are on or have completed programmes which effectively try to improve the working of the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls motor functions, such as eye, leg and arm movements.

Gifted Children: A Senate Committee in Australia has just published a report into gifted children in the classroom. It is available from the Australian government's website and includes sections such as: defining the problem; characteristics of gifted children, identifying gifted children, differentiating the curriculum, accelerated learning, enrichment and extension, difficulties of curriculum support, ability grouping and the the role of universities in gifted education.

Interactive Learning: Bristol University's Graduate School of Education is carrying out an investigation into how new technologies can improve teaching and learning. Some of the research focused on year 7 and 8 boys with a range of social communication difficulties including dyslexia, attention deficit and hyperactive disorder and behaviour-related problems. The full report will be published later this year but their preliminary findings are encouraging.

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