Economics is offered as an A level subject at Ashford School. At a time when young adults are starting to think critically about the social, economic and political world around them, we believe that Economics provides a vital theoretical toolkit which can be used to make sense of current affairs and the local, national and global environment.
To this end, students study topical issues such as the Economics of Brexit and climate change. We aim to make learning in Economics as student-centred as possible. Pupils are often asked to provide five minute starter activities on an economic topic of their choice, such as the current state of the UK economy, and are partly assessed on the quality of reports and presentations that they provide to their peers. Students are encouraged to read around the subject: they are invited to subscribe to a student magazine called The Economic Review, and are asked at the end of Year 12 to deliver a review of an economic book of their choice.
To stretch our pupils, we encourage them to submit entries for nationwide schools’ Economics competitions such as the Royal Economics Society’s essay competition for Sixth Formers, and the Bank of England’s economics blogging competition. In Year 13, our students attend revision conferences in the run-up to their exams, and recent trips have included a visit to Paris to take part in a conference about the future of the European Union.
We are delighted that a large number of our students feel enthused by the subject and go on to study Economics or a related field at university.