Teachers go to the Education Show to get acquainted with the latest developments in their field and to suss out the latest equipment and resources. But as they work the stands, most will also have another aim at the back of their mind: they will be on the look out for freebies. Of course you have to weed out the advertising but teachers are adept at this and there are some useful items to be had. This list is not comprehensive, but may help you identify some must-haves for your school.

And don’t forget, at The TES stand you can pick up a free copy of the April edition of our Primary magazine and your complimentary copy of the paper.

The TES stand J20

The Parliamentary Education Unit, which provides information to educational institutions on how Parliament works, is offering a range of free teaching materials for children aged eight upwards. They are rather old-fashioned in style but could be very useful for studies in citizenship. Included are booklets such as The Work of an MP and The Speaker of the House of Commons, pamphlets and posters.

The Parliamentary Education Unit stand V10

The Green Code Programme for Schools is an interactive cartoon-style computer game on sustainability in the home, school and community. It can be found on the Eco-Schools stand (a European-wide programme to raise children’s awareness about the environment) and there are infant, junior and secondary school versions.

Eco-Schools stand E30

In the same general curriculum area, Christian Aid has a range of free resources exploring issues of global development, poverty and social development. They include materials for school assemblies on the theme of child power - children in developing countries working to improve their communities’ quality of life.

Christian Aid stand U71

There is an abundance of free materials on health and lifestyle issues. The National Dairy Council has freebies for all key stages, including Bone Up on Milk, a leaflet highlighting the importance of developing strong bones, particularly during the teenage years, Enjoy your Food - Fight DK, a striking leaflet suggesting healthy snacks that don’t rot your teeth, and Counting the Cows a numeracy hour booklet in which Farmer Eric challenges children with differentiated maths ctivities.

The National Dairy Council stand K40

The British Heart Foundation has a wide range of colourful materials, some free, on how primary and secondary school children can reduce the risk of heart disease and deal with emergency, life-threatening situations.

The British Heart Foundation stand C20

To help headteachers manage a school health problem, the makers of Lyclear, a treatment product for headlice, are producing a free pack on the little beasts. It includes an information sheet for parents, a poster and a cartoon-based story for children. The pack will be available in May but you can order it now from the Education and Youth stand.

Education and Youth stand C21

Among language materials, Collins Educational is offering free trial packs for the new key stage 3 French course, Formule X.

Collins Educational stand PV221250 John Murray will supply free copies of Tout Droit!, Durchblick and !Sigue!, which are being re-issued in second editions to fit the new A-level specifications.

John Murray stand PV260

Good travel posters can brighten up the classroom and be effective resources - free examples are available from Destinations, the educational study tours company. They include attractive pictures of the Louvre, Spanish castles and the gold statue of Mozart.

Destinations Educational Tours stand PV105

The Office for Advice, Assistance, Support and Information on Special Needs (OAASIS) is a resource centre set up in 1996 by the Hesley Group, a company running nine residential special schools and colleges. It offers a range of free, one-page information sheets on conditions such as dyspraxia, asperger syndrome, autism and Tourette’s syndrome.

OAASIS stand SN3

Key Organisations 2000, free from Carel Press, is an up-to-date, 100-page guide to thousands of organisations listed under their titles and subject areas.

Carel Press stand PV352

Keyboards in Action is giving away a book on musical keyboards for the primary teacher as well as demonstration programmes.

Keyboards in Action stand IT40IT42 AVP, a commercial software producer, is offering free guides to educational software - and not just its own.

AVP stand IT37

Letts Educational, publishers of resources for revision and exam preparation, will be giving away primary and secondary resource packs.

Letts Educational stand PV201