Graham Downes

Personal statement

Graham Downes is a senior lecturer in education with a particular interest in the social and political aspects of education, as well as the role of new technologies in schools. He spent six years working as a primary school teacher, followed by six years working as an advisory teacher for the Central Bristol EAZ. Whilst there, his remit was to develop collaborative projects between schools and local organisations with a focus on technology. The Zone had a specific affiliation with the Arts and, as a result, Graham worked on many projects in collaboration with local artists and art organisations such as The Watershed in Bristol.

He has an MSc in Education, Technology and Society and is currently undertaking a PhD examining new processes of educational governance, particularly in relation to academies and free schools. He has presented papers at The British Education Studies Association and British Educational Research Association. In July, 2013 he presented a paper at the Conference for Interdisciplinary Social Sciences in Prague, examining the relationship between communities and the State within systems educational governance.

Academic qualifications

• BA(Hons) Chichester University
• PGCE Chichester University
• MSc Bristol University.

Teaching specialism

• Educational governance and political economy 
• Free Schools
• Critical discourse analysis 
• Computer games and learning.