Times Educational supplement announces relaunch plan

Britainís best read education publication, the Times Educational Supplement, today announced plans for the autumn relaunch of TES as a new format, full colour paper and new glossy magazine as well as a strengthened online presence.

Speaking to a TES staff meeting, Bernard Gray, Chief Executive of TSL Education, announced that the company will invest more than 5m in relaunching and strengthening its position in the education market. He said:

ìThe Times Educational Supplement is a tremendous title. It is teachersí first source of news about education, teaching and their lives in the classroom as well as advice and information about their careers.

ìAlthough the product has evolved over time in response to reader requirements there has been little deep analysis of readersí needs for some time. Over the past few months, TES has conducted detailed research into teachersí views on our product, what they like and donít like and where else they go for news, information and advice.

ìThat gave us a very clear understanding of what teachers and educationalists wanted from their weekly newspaper. Teachersí lives are busy ñ all day, every day. They want a newsy, interesting paper thatís easy to navigate and interesting to read. It needs to have the detail behind education news so that those in the sector can find quickly how issues will practically affect them. And it needs to celebrate teachersí successes as well as reporting on their problems. But teachers want more.

ìThey want a magazine that mixes professional issues with how teachers manage their lives. It should be relevant and upbeat with features on the subjects that really matter to teachers in their life at work. The new TES will deliver all this and more.

ìWeíre now well advanced with our plans to launch a new TES in the autumn term.

- ìThe new TES will comprise a modern, redesigned newspaper with strong news and features content and a glossy, modern magazine, (plus new, full colour, jobs sections). The new TES will be a trusted source of news, information and advice for teachers and the education community and will provide an unrivalled service in print and online for education professionals and advertisers.

- ìThe new full colour format will enable us to offer full colour to readers and advertisers throughout the paper for the first time.

ìThe paper will continue to be first with education news and will explain and analyse what matters to teachers and the education community and why. There will be new content relevant to teachersí careers and professional lives, including incisive columns and dedicated sections, and it will be easier to find.

ìThe new magazine will combine the personal and professional sides of teachersí lives and complement the main paper by appealing to those who want more than hard news, with features and insights into teachersí working lives. There will be new specialist sections that will be relevant without being hard work, upbeat without being unreal.

- ìOur online presence will be greatly strengthened - with new content and resources, better navigation, an enhanced jobs site and better ease of access for advertisers and for job seekers.

- ìWe will create a compelling, competitive, integrated print and online advertising proposition which offers added value services to the market. We will strengthen our ties to advertisers and build new relationships with the education sector and those who want to do business with it. By improving our product weíll offer advertisers a more effective route to their market and build a more loyal readership.î

TES Editor, Judith Judd, said:

ìThis is a hugely exciting time for TES and a great opportunity to update the paper and tailor it exactly to what every teacher wants every week. Teachers really need to be informed about their profession but they also want to be entertained. I want TES to be at the heart of the education community ñ where it should be. I am very encouraged that the company is investing so heavily in the future of TES.î

To support the new publication TSL Education has also announced a restructuring of its staff teams. There will be some reduction in staff numbers reflecting the simplified process we will use to produce the new TES. TSL is consulting its staff and will offer a voluntary redundancy to those staff members who are potentially affected.