Re Joint Venture

25 November 2002

RM enters strategic educational technology partnership with Harcourt Education Ltd

RM plc, the UK's leading supplier of ICT software, systems and services to education establishments, announces that it
has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with respect to a technology partnership with Harcourt Education Ltd., a
division of Reed Elsevier Group plc.  Under the technology partnership RM and Harcourt will co-operate on the
production of online curriculum material and RM will provide Harcourt with ICT (information and communications
technology) consultancy and support.

As part of the partnership Harcourt will become the first Content Partner for RM's new Virtual Teaching and Learning
Environment (VTLE) programme.  Harcourt will build on its existing content portfolio and develop new material to be
delivered through the RM VTLE.  Harcourt will also use RM's VTLE technology to underpin its own online content
products.

Commenting on the strategic educational technology partnership, Tim Pearson, Chief Executive of RM plc, said:

'Harcourt is the leading name in educational publishing in the UK, with an enviable reputation for the quality and
effectiveness of its materials.  Working in partnership we will be able to take proven educational resources and
approaches and deliver them in an ICT environment.

John Philbin, Chief Executive of Harcourt Education Ltd, said:

'Harcourt is the UK's leading provider of blended electronic learning resources that help teachers use ICT as a
teaching tool alongside textbooks and other classroom resources.  It is important to us to ensure that our market
leading brands are available to the largest number of schools on the best learning platforms and working in partnership
with the leader in educational ICT will help us achieve that.'
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For further information, please contact:
Mike Greig/Phil Hemmings, RM plc                     08709 200200       
Andrew Fenwick/Fiona Fong, Brunswick                 020 7404 5959      
John Philbin/Philip Ellaway, Harcourt Education Ltd. 01865 314260       

Notes to Editors:

Through its market leading brands Heinemann, Ginn and Rigby - Harcourt is the UK's largest provider of educational
textbooks and library resources for schools, with a strong and growing presence in curriculum software supporting the
delivery of the National Curriculum and the National Numeracy and Literacy strategies.  

Harcourt Education Ltd is a division of Reed Elsevier Group plc - a world leading provider of information driven
services and solutions, and Europe's largest listed publishing company.

Website:    www.harcourteducation.co.uk

RM's Virtual Teaching and Learning Environment programme will see RM providing a highly sophisticated, ICT-based
infrastructure for delivering learning content to schools.  The VTLE will bring together content authored by RM,
Harcourt and, in the future, other educational publishers into a managed learning environment offering planning,
delivery and assessment.

RM will show a concept demonstration of the VTLE, including resources developed by Harcourt, at BETT (the major UK
educational ICT trade show) in January 2003.