Archive for the Economics category

Nineteen Year 11 to Year 13 students went on an Economics and Politics students week long trip to Brussels and Frankfurt.  They explored how small and large businesses operated from a chocolate factory in Brussels to a brewery in Leuven.  The students particularly enjoyed the chance to make chocolates at the Chocolaterie Duval.  They also went to the National Bank of Belgium, where they discussed monetary policy, as well as visiting the Atomium in Brussels.

In Frankfurt they enjoyed the chance to visit the European Central Bank to explore current issue surrounding the Euro.  They also went to the Frankfurt Stock Exchange as well as visiting Frankfurter Allgemeine, where they talked to a leading journalist for the afternoon.  There were also a wide range of Politics visits.  Thanks go to Miss Pallas-Brown and Miss Burton for giving up a week of their holiday.

Five Year 13 students spent the term preparing a presentation which four of them then gave at Unipart in Cowley to a representative of the Bank of England, mirroring the Bank of England’s decision in setting interest rates.  This involved a 15 minute presentation followed by questions from a panel of judges.  Well done to the girls.

The Year 12 and 13 Economics students heard a variety of eminent economists speak in London near the end of term.  Highlights included talks from Alistair Darling MP, Tim Harford, author of “The Undercover Economist”, Larry Elliott of the Guardian, Carl Emmerson, of the Institute of Fiscal Studies, Douglas Carswell MP, George Buckley of Deutsche Bank and Hugh Pym from the BBC about the future of the UK economy.  Many thanks go to Miss Bramall for accompanying the trip with me and the girls.

Twenty Year 12 and 13 students went on a very successful Politics and Economics trip to Washington DC and New York over October half term.

There were several key Economics visits including a memorable visit to the Federal Reserve Bank in New York. The group were able to compare the differences between the objectives of the Federal Reserve Bank and the Bank of England. They then had a question and answer session on monetary policy before visiting the gold reserves which consisted of 25% of the world’s gold supply in the vault they visited. Afterwards we went on a guided tour of the financial district of New York where we saw the New York Stock Exchange and Wall Street as well as a visit to Ground Zero.

Many of the group also had the chance to go sightseeing including at the Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.

The group had the chance to look at the pricing policies of various shops as well as working on exchange rates, which should prove valuable to both Years 12 and 13 as will the increasing focus on US competition Policy on the Year 13 syllabus. There were also many Politics-related visits.

Many thanks go to Miss Stewart (Spanish) and Dr. Rushton for accompanying us on the trip.

Quotes from the trip:

“This trip has been really fun and so interesting. I had never been to America before and this has really opened my eyes.”

“Definitely a trip to remember and I really want to come back soon.”

“A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”