Pretty much everything that we do in the field of education in North America we do around the world too.

So, for example, we are the leading schools, college and professional publisher around the world, just as we are in America, and we're also heavily involved in technology. And, increasingly, most of our major content and all our assessment and qualifications can be delivered digitally. The British Council estimates that some 2 billion people will learn English as a second or foreign language over the next 20 years, and increasingly we're working in partnership and directly ourselves in the real provision, in the actual teaching and learning of English as a foreign or a second language.

I think what's really helping us to grow so strongly in education around the world is this whole idea of the knowledge based economy, and that essentially means that the better educated you are, the more likely you are to have a job, and the more likely that is to be a well paid job. And that means that as of today there are about 1.3 billion people enrolled in full-time education around the world.

I think what's really important in a company the size of Pearson is that we're really, really good at sharing ideas that work and that are making a difference in classrooms all around the world. For example, our colleagues working in Pearson companies all over Africa have combined together in a project to develop numeracy and literacy programmes that can be used by teachers throughout West, East and Southern Africa. And the wonderful thing about that is by working together and collaboratively we've been able to afford a scale of investment that we couldn't have afforded individually. We can then bring the benefits of that investment to teachers in classrooms all over the world so they can help each and every one of their students to make the most of themselves and their lives.

JOHN FALLON