This help page lists the most frequently asked questions about this site. Just scroll down to see all the questions; click a question to get the answer.
I'm having technical problems with the site. What should I do?
I've found a broken link/mistake. What should I do?
How do I view all the examples of work in a subject?
Do I have to select all the criteria when I refine a search?
What does the 'National Curriculum programme of study reference' refer to in search?
What does 'free text search' mean in search?
Can I look at several examples of work at the same time?
Why don't the pieces of work print out as A4?
What does the referencing in 'about this entry' mean?
Why can't I see the PE clips or hear the music or MFL clips?
How do I use the CD-ROM for music and PE?
On the search results page, what does 'add to my portfolio' mean?
Why isn't 'my portfolio' saving the work I select between sessions?
I need more help, what do I do?
I'm having technical problems with the site.
What should I do?
If you are having technical problems, please contact the webmaster.
Please remember to describe the type of computer (eg PC, Mac) and browser
(Internet Explorer 5, Netscape 6) you are using. Please also give the
address of the page containing the broken link (you can copy and paste
this from the white address bar in your browser).
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I've found a broken link/mistake. What should
I do?
Please send the webmaster a
brief description of the broken link/mistake.
Please remember to give the address of the page containing the broken
link (you can copy and paste this from the white address bar in your browser).
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How do I view all the examples of work in a
subject?
Just select a subject in search and select next. The search results will show all the examples
of work in the subject.
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Do I have to select all the criteria when I refine a search?
No, for each refinement, only select the criteria that you want to search on.
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What does the 'National Curriculum programme
of study reference' refer to in search?
These criteria refer to the paragraphs (numbers) and requirements (letters)
in the National Curriculum programmes of study (see the handbook or www.nc.uk.net
for a full list). Science also has sections (numbers).
The examples of work in the database are 'tagged' with these references
so you can search for a piece of work that covers a particular part of
the programme of study.
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What does 'free text search' mean in
search?
This function allows you to enter any word or phrase and search for examples
of work that cover it.
For example you can search for all the work completed by a particular
student by entering their name, or search for work covering a specific
topic. You do not need to insert accents on French, German or Spanish
words.
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Can I look at several examples of work at the
same time?
Yes, you can have several pop-up windows containing pupils' work open
at the same time. However, we don't recommend that you do this on low
power machines with basic memory as they are likely to crash.
If you want to look at several pieces of work on a PC, first select a piece of work on the search results page. This will launch a pop-up window containing the piece of work and related information.
Click on the search results page in the main browser window in the background. Do not close the pop-up window.
Select the next piece of work, launching the pop-up window. This can be from the same search results page or you can carry out another search.
Select the previous pop-up window. Both pop-up windows should now be on your screen and you can switch between, move and resize them.
If you want to look at several pieces of work on a Mac, first select a piece of work on the search results page. This will launch a pop-up window containing the piece of work and related information.
Click on the search results page in the main browser window in the background. The pop-up window will seem to disappear, but it is behind the main window.
Select the next piece of work, launching the pop-up window. This can be from the same search results page or you can carry out another search.
Click on the main browser window and minimise it by clicking on the box
in the far right of the title bar. You will now see the pop-up windows
and you can switch between, move and resize them.
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Why don't the pieces of work print out as
A4?
The pieces of work won't print on to one piece of A4 from the pop-up windows
due to formatting issues related to the website. However, you can get
a high-quality printable (A4) version of each piece of work by using 'my
portfolio'.
To do this, add a piece of work to 'my portfolio' and select 'download as a PDF'. For most computers, this will open a printable version of the work in your browser and you can choose to print out from there.
You can also download the file to your hard drive so you can view it offline whenever you want. To do this, right-click (PC) or ctrl-click (Mac) on the 'download as a PDF' link and choose the 'Save Target As...' option. This is usually faster than opening the PDF in your browser.
To view the PDF files you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader version 4 or above. This is free software that can be downloaded from Adobe's website.
What does the referencing in 'about this
entry' mean?
The references list the key stage, paragraph and requirement in the National
Curriculum programme of study that the work covers.
For example, MuKS1p1a breaks down into:
Mu = the subject, music
KS1 = the key stage
p1 = the paragraph in the programme of study
a = the requirement in paragraph 1.
The programme of study for science also includes sections and so the
references include an additional reference. For example, in ScKs1Sc2p2b,
the section is 2.
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Why can't I see the PE clips or hear the
music or MFL clips?
The pupils' work for these subjects is in video and audio format and to
view or hear it you will need QuickTime software on your machine.
If you don't have QuickTime, you can download a free copy from the Apple website. The instructions on the Apple website are easy to follow. As a guide, it takes about 30 minutes to download the software with a 56K modem.
If your computer is part of a network you may not be able to download QuickTime; you will need to speak to your systems administrator.
Many websites and CD-ROMs use QuickTime, so once you have downloaded
the software you will be able to access a wide range of video, animation,
sound, graphics and music.
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How do I use the CD-ROM for music and PE?
The CD-ROM supports the website. Insert it into the CD drive before searching
for pupils' work but do not run it. When you carry out your search the
website will identify that you have the CD-ROM and will take the file
from there rather than the website.
The audio and video clips for music and PE are large and can take time to download. Providing them on the CD-ROM means they will load quickly.
Two copies of the CD-ROM were sent to every school and LEA in December
2001.
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On the search results page, what does 'add
to my portfolio' mean?
By selecting this link you send the selected piece of work to 'my portfolio'.
You can collect pieces of work from all over the site in 'my portfolio'.
If you work on the same computer every session and your computer has 'cookies'
enabled (a function under 'edit>preferences' that allows a small amount
of information to be saved on to your hard drive), the items in your portfolio
will be saved between your sessions on the site.
'My portfolio' has a second purpose - it enables you to download PDFs of the pieces of work. These are high-quality printable (A4) versions of the work and related information. To view the PDF files you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader version 4 or above. This is free software that can be downloaded from Adobe's website.
For most computers, selecting 'download as a PDF' will open a printable version of the work in your browser. You can also download the file to your hard drive so you can view it offline whenever you want. To do this, right-click (PC) or ctrl-click (Mac) on the 'download as a PDF' link and choose the 'Save Target As...' option. This is usually faster than opening the PDF in your browser.
To return to the search results page from 'my portfolio', click the 'back'
button on your browser.
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How does 'my portfolio' work?
'My portfolio' has two purposes. First, it enables you to collect pieces
of work from all over the site that interest you. If you work on the same
computer each session and your computer has 'cookies' enabled (a function
under 'edit>preferences' that allows a small amount of information to
be saved on to your hard drive), the items in your portfolio will be saved
between your sessions on the site.
Second, it enables you to download PDFs of the pieces of work. These are high-quality printable (A4) versions of the work and related information. To view the PDF files you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader version 4 or above. This is free software that can be downloaded from Adobe's website.
For most computers, selecting 'download as a PDF' will open a printable
version of the work in your browser. You can also download the file to
your hard drive so you can view it offline whenever you want. To do this,
right-click (PC) or ctrl-click (Mac) on the 'download as a PDF' link and
choose the 'Save Target As...' option. This is usually faster than
opening the PDF in your browser.
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Why isn't 'my portfolio' saving the work
I select between sessions?
'My portfolio' uses 'cookies' to store the examples of work you select.
These allow a small amount of information to be saved on to your hard
drive. In organisations where computers are shared, cookies are often
disabled so that information is not stored between sessions.
If the cookies function on your machine has been disabled, the information in 'my portfolio' will not be saved between sessions.
Cookies are used by many websites to identify you when you visit, for example bookshops store your preferences. Cookies can only store information you provide; they do not enable sites to gain access to your computer or your e-mail address.
You can find cookies under 'edit>preferences'.
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I'm working on a different computer, why
can't I see the work I put into 'my portfolio' in my last session?
The information relating to 'my portfolio' is stored on the hard drive
of the computer. If you are working on a different computer you will not
be able to see portfolio entries saved in your previous session.
Does this site use 'cookies'?
Yes, it uses cookies in 'my portfolio' to record which pieces of work
you have put into 'my portfolio'. If cookies are enabled on your computer,
when you return to the site the work you put into my portfolio will still
be there.
The website also uses cookies to detect whether you are using the CD-ROM for music and PE.
Cookies allow a small amount of information to be saved on to your hard drive. They are used by many websites to identify you when you visit, for example bookshops store your preferences. Cookies can only store information you provide; they do not enable sites to gain access to your computer or your e-mail address.
You can find cookies under 'edit>preferences'.
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I need more help, what do I do?
If the help you need is not covered here, call QCA's Customer Services
team on 020 7509 5556.
