Graphers, for key stage 1 pupils upwards, is a tool for graphing data that can be counted or sorted. Young pupils can easily manipulate data and create graphs using simple “point, click and drag” mouse actions.

In the Warm Up section, you can quickly manipulate and graph simple data. There are 16 data sets, which include colours, pets, ice cream, etc, each data set containing from four to 19 objects. The graphs can be a table, pictograph, bar graph or pie chart. They are dynamic and are linked in such a way that clicking on a graph itself allows you to change the data.

On-screen tools allow you to change the appearance of the graph by adding grid lines, counts, displaying the same data in different ways on the same screen - for example, a pie chart of favourite pets with numbers, fractions or percen-tages next to or inside each slice of the pie.

The Work Out section offers more types of data and graphs and the ability to save them.

What it does, it does very well. But one thing you would really like it to do is allow children to create their own data sets, with their own icons. But thisis only a small niggle. The program will help key stage 1 pupils and stretch some at key stage 2 as well. The teacher’s guide offers good support on how to use the program and there are photocopiable ideas on how to introduce it in to the classroom.

* Andy Lambert is an IT inspector with a London borough