Counting frogs, pyramidal punctuation and tigers coming to tea are among the resources now being accessed by thousands of teachers, courtesy of the new TES resource bank.

Since it was launched earlier this month, more than 400 pieces of work have been uploaded on to The TES online database for teaching resources.

The teaching materials posted on to the information-sharing website has already been accessed by 10,000 users, making it one of the busiest areas of the TES website, after online staffroom discussion forums.

Available resources range from an early-years counting poster, illustrated with smiling green frogs, to business-study role-play scenarios for sixth-formers.

Key stage 1 teachers have more than 120 resources to choose from, including the story of the tiger who dropped by for tea and cakes, told in a sandwich-shaped miniature book based on the original story by Judith Kerr.

Key stage 2 teachers, meanwhile, have more than 70 resources available, such as a punctuation pyramid, a graphic representation of the punctuation that children at different stages should be able to use. And there are more than 150 resources for those teaching key stages 3 and 4, including a quiz based on the TV show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.

Contributors can rate and comment on other teachers’ resources.

Many are already discovering that the database can be a significant labour-saver. One contributor to the online staffroom was faced with 10 requests for resources from fellow posters, when another teacher suggested:

“Why not upload it to the TES resource bank?”

Sara Bubb, of London university’s institute of education, said: “There are some fantastic resources out there. But it’s terribly boring and time-consuming to email them to people. Some teachers think that using someone else’s lesson plan is cheating. But it’s not, as long as you make it your own.”

And teachers have also begun providing advance publicity for their own contributions. These range from the altruistic, followed by a modest “hope it’s OK”, to the blatantly capitalist. One contributor writes: “Have posted two resources. These are examples of a much wider range that I sell on my eBay shop.”

Bill Hicks, TES online editor, said: “It’s clear there is a real need for somewhere where teachers can, with minimum fuss, download free resources to help them teach. It’s already working brilliantly, and is a tribute to the generosity and ingenuity of teachers.”

www.tes.co.ukresources LEADER 22