Scholastic shapes education

Scholastic has cut its team of editorial directors for educational publishing from three to one in its latest phase of restructuring.

Jane Morgan, formerly editorial director of the early years programme, will become editorial director for all educational magazines and books. She will report to Max Adam, m.d. of educational publishing.

Gina Nuttall, editorial director, books and magazines, and Gill Moore, editorial director, primary publishing, will both leave the company. They follow their former manager Annie Peel, director of educational books, who left the company last month.

Ian Ronald, Scholastic UK m.d., said that the educational programme would be re-evaluated during the next few months. "Naturally Max and Jane will look at the products as anyone new would. But there is no reason to suppose that it needs fundamental change. We are not embarking on a full scale strategic review." It was too early to say if more jobs would be lost.

Meanwhile Richard Robinson, Scholastic Inc chairman, c.e.o. and president, told the Financial Times—in the context of US publication of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix—that trade publishing tended to show "low growth and lousy margins".

But Mr Ronald told The Bookseller that the UK trade division was in good shape. "Trade publishing in the UK is extraordinarily profitable. We needed to improve profits at book clubs and school book fairs, not trade publishing."