The Principal; Power and Professionalism in FE: Measuring Up To The Mean – Beggars Belief

On Saturday 25th November I attended and presented at the ‘Power and Professionalism in FE Conference’ which was held at University of Huddersfield (Twitter hashtag: #hudpowerfe). This conference was brought together to coincide with, and reflect the themes, ideas and work of a host of contributors to the launch of the book ‘The Principal; Power and Professionalism in FE‘ published by University College London Institute of Education Press. Read more…

Issues of Seeking Patronage: A Thought Experiment

There are a number of issues with seeking patronage which are discussed here particular to our time. This is a response to a thought experiment sent to me after writing an article called ‘Why Not To Chase Wealth and Status: A Community Project Perspective’. In it I was writing my rationale for not following a frequently offered piece of advice on how to develop the Ragged University as a project. Read more…

Studying the Press: Alex Dunedin Answers Questions and Analyses Article From Journalist Kashmira Gander

A journalist recently got in touch with me to ask me about the work which has been happening through Ragged University.  Kashmira Gander had initially asked me to reflect on an article ‘The British university where a degree doesn’t mean a lifetime of debt Learning for love, not money‘ published in Huck Magazine which takes a particular focus on the great work going on at the Free University of Brighton.

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Coordinator: David Hughes

David ‘Aphid’ Hughes is one of the future-shocked who is finding his place in a world he tries hard to understand. He has spent most of his time in pubs and is a great example of a little knowledge being a dangerous thing. A sociable Henry’s cat with a moustache and a bald head. He has many ideas and concepts and is looking for the right people to throw them at.  David cofounded Glasgow Ragged University producing a range of events across a variety of venues.
“I saw my place in the Ragged University as an enabler, bringing together venues, groups and individuals as well as subjects topics and experiences to form areas of society where ideas, discussions, projects and relationships can flourish and be challenged…
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Coordinator: Dan Zambas

Firstly I want to say thank you – I have had the incredibly fortunate pleasure of watching Ragged grow from the very start. Its simple philosophy really struck a chord with me, something so obvious but equally necessary – “What do you love? What do you want to know? What do you want to be?” and most importantly “Did you know this existed?”. These are the questions that we do not ask our children in our current education system, and this ideal has been born out of the very absence of this question. For that, Alex, thank you.

I’m a parent to two wonderful little girls, little bright sparks whose existence helped inspire Alex to begin his journey with Ragged. My family are the reason I do what I do, like so many of us, and the support in my own musical journey… well words just want say quite enough what that means to me.

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