About us
Folens is a major company in Irish and UK educational publishing. Folens Ireland was founded in Dublin by Albert Folens (1917-2003) in 1959. The company grew into one of the foremost educational organisations in Ireland.
Folens UK was founded in 1986 and is one of the leading educational publishers of primary and secondary resources and software for teachers and students in the UK.
Staff based in our Haddenham offices develop, sell and market over 1,000 product titles throughout the UK and overseas.
How we do what we do:
Publishers
The publishers propose new concepts, find and commission authors, ensure the material being written is produced to a high standard in terms of what are the current needs of teachers and pupils and ensure that the progress of the publication from concept to printer remains on schedule. The publishers at Folens are drawn from a wide range of backgrounds. Some have a background in teaching, research or a professional publishing background. In addition to the full time publishers at Folens, we also use freelance publishers.
Editorial
An editor takes a manuscript which has been worked on by the publisher, and ensures its careful progress towards publication. The editor commissions all the artwork and photographs, ensures that the text is appropriate, that the styles are consistent, and that the content is shaped to fit the size of publication. Editors spend time in schools trialling material and working in classrooms with children of the same age as those for whom our publications are intended. So, an editor working on a foundation stage book will spend time in a nursery or reception classroom. Similarly, an editor working on GCSE material will spend time with 15 and 16 year olds.
Desktop Publishing (DTP)
The DTP team produce the design and lay out of our publications. They use a variety of templates depending on the type of publication and the intended audience. Members of the team work on Mac and PC using InDesign.
Production
All products are sent from our UK office for manufacture either as a printed product or in CD format. Members of the production team ensure that the quality of the final product meets agreed standards, is produced on schedule and is available for distribution by our distributors. We print in the UK, in Europe and in the Far East, with printers with whom we have developed a long-term relationship.