Re Product Shipment

15 May 2002

                                                                               
  RM commences shipments of next generation infrastructure system for schools  

RM plc, the UK's leading supplier of ICT software, systems and services to
education establishments, has commenced shipments of RM Community Connect 3,
the next generation of its flagship network infrastructure product for schools.
RM Community Connect 3 provides schools with a secure and stable platform on
which to build their whole-school ICT systems.

RM announced in February that the release of Community Connect 3 was being
delayed in order to allow additional testing of the software. Following
extensive trials in 60 education establishments, first shipments of the product
have now commenced - ahead of the Group's revised development plan.

Community Connect 3 incorporates the latest technology and offers significantly
increased functionality over earlier generations, with enhancements targeted at
areas which most benefit users in schools. The product represents a major
strategic upgrade for RM's schools customers and is expected to generate
significant additional business for the Group's other product ranges as schools
invest in substantial developments of their ICT infrastructure.

Tim Pearson, Chief Executive of RM, commented,

'RM Community Connect 3 was very well received by customers at BETT 2002, the
UK's leading education ICT show, in January. The product takes forward the
tried and tested benefits of RM Community Connect - robustness, ease of use and
classroom-appropriateness - with the addition of enhanced management tools and
support for Microsoft Windows XP. The new features we have added are those that
our customers told us they need to make their ICT infrastructure more reliable
and more manageable. '

                                   - Ends -                                    

For further information, please contact:

Phil Hemmings,                 RM plc               08709 200200             
                                                                             
Fiona Fong/Mark Antelme,       Brunswick            020 7404 5959            

Notes to editors

Community Connect 3 is the most robust and reliable infrastructure system RM
has produced. It is the result of over 150 person-years of development and has
been widely field-tested in 43 schools and 17 other educational establishments
over the last eighteen months.

Community Connect 3 has been specifically designed for the school environment
and delivers against five key principles:

Confidence: Having confidence in ICT facilities is important to everyone within
the school. Teachers need to have the confidence that when they plan to use
ICT, they can use it to achieve the most productive lessons. Senior managers
need the confidence that their ICT systems will meet the school's needs today
and in the future.

Control: It is important to teachers to be in control of their use of ICT in
lessons. Also ICT support staff need to be able to manage the resources
effectively, delegating control to others within the school, whilst keeping an
overview of the complete system.

Flexibility: Flexibility is essential as it allows ICT Support staff to provide
an ICT environment that supports and empowers all of their users, balanced
against the need for effective control and management. This balance is a key
issue for overall ICT resource management, and it is important to have the
flexibility to choose the balance.

Access: Giving controlled access to ICT resources across the entire learning
community, both inside and outside the school and including mobile access, is
becoming a priority for senior managers. Teachers and learners want to use ICT
when they want and at any time, including from home.

Individual Freedom: Learners value ICT that provides individual freedom and a
feeling of ownership. For example, being able to personalise their `own'
computer in school, where information is secure and they have easy access to
their individual learning resources.