In fact our Primary pupils' first encounter with "big school" is with Moodle and Open Office software, via an INGOTS qualification they start on day visits to us and then continue back at their own schools. They obtain logins to our Moodle on a “taster” day in Year 5, where they use Open Office Draw to design a house as the first part of their Bronze INGOT. From then on, they feel a part of our community as they can engage with their new teachers and older classmates via the VLE. Additionally, a special forum is set up for Year 6 to communicate with Year 7 in the term prior to starting high school. The younger children can express their concerns which are assuaged by the infinitely more experienced (!) Year 7s.

Thus Moodle helps our students- even before they join us - in at least two aspects of SEAL: Managing Feelings and Empathy. Others? Below I will take one at a time those five strands and look at how Moodle assists:

Motivation: a motivated, engaged student will perform better (So in fact, will their teacher!) We no longer have a school website as we use the front page(open access) of our Moodle to celebrate events. We use html blocks with images linking to slideshows of the latest pupil achievements and update this several times a week. The non-standard Book Module serves both an archive and also a resource for showcasing examples of student excellence. Not for us the blank login page directing the class straight to their courses: we WANT them to linger awhile, see what their classmates in years above and below have been doing -the sense of community has blossomed since we began to use Moodle in this way.

Empathy: in addition to (yet another book) with our Thought for the Day alerting students to plights of the disadvantaged of the world, we use the Lesson module, particularly in Humanities subjects, to create online role plays or Decision Making exercises - students step into the shoes of a young person in difficult circumstances and are asked to make choices based on certain scenarios. In a less complex way, a simple link to a website (such as Oxfam) offering an online role play also serves to get them thinking beyond their own limited environment and experiences.

Managing Feelings: Moodle advertises the group Spectrum (Rainbows) for students suffering loss. Those who feel unhappy in school have a private area on the VLE where they can speak in confidence to their Learning Manager (Head of Year) We use the journal for this althought there are other ways to do it. This is ideal for those who might not want to stand in the corridor in full view of potential bullies

Self Awareness: The non-standard questionnaire module comes into its own here, giving students opportunities to reflect on their progress and targets both in general (we have a twice yearly Review Day where they meet with their form teacher and set targets on a questionnaire) and specific: subject teachers use the questionnaire to get students thinking about how they learn best or how well they operate in groups for example.

Social Skills: Forums have been possibly our biggest 'hit' socially on Moodle. From those who are happy to have their say in the real world as well as in cyberspace to those who might not speak up in class but are more comfortable typing a response in the privacy of their own home or the peace of the library/LRC, forums are a hive of discussion and dispute. Cross -year collaboration occurs when year 8s give advice to Year 7s in a forum on how best to make your castle for the History project. (Perhaps the mums and dads pay close attention to this too...??) Students collaborate on year pages, organising get togethers, sharing silly photos, voting on their favourite TV soap -and self moderating with a heart-warming degree of reliablility in ones so young.
SEAL and Moodle are bound together like Open Source and Community; that's why it works.