Economics

Economics is both a theoretical and a practical subject; this is reflected in the A Level syllabus, which allows us to captivate the students’ imagination.

At the heart of our subject is the modern world and the OCR qualifications. A successful economist must be able to understand economic theory and use and apply this theory in relevant ways to study the local, national, European and world economic issues. The stimulating specification content encourages the student to develop skills as independent learners, critical thinkers and decision-makers. These skills will make the students stand out as they work their way through higher education and into the work environment. The course provides a useful introduction to the subject for all those who intend to read it at university, and also an excellent theoretical background for those who intend to continue on a Business, Management or Accountancy course.

Our approach is to bring learning to life. No two days are the same in the economy or in the business world, and so they shouldn’t be in the classroom!

CM

Mrs Catherine Mole

Head of Economics and Business

 

About the Curriculum

The course is topically designed to be engaging, but also to facilitate an understanding of the pupils’ role in society. It is tested over 3 papers:

  • Component 1 focuses on microeconomics. This allows students to discuss and evaluate how well theories explain our observations of economic agents in the real world, focusing on the labour markets and environmental factors. Imperfections and market failures provide a lead into discussing the merits and drawbacks of government intervention.
  • Component 2 focuses on macroeconomics. It enables students to develop their technical and analytical skills so that they can better understand how the macro economy functions on both domestic and global levels. The students must adopt a critical approach to their study of policy through understanding the limitations and conflicts that they present. Policy approaches are also considered in a historical context to understand how macroeconomics has changed over time. We focus on global events, past and present, by looking at the foundations of Economic thinkers and their impact of policy decisions through history. Additionally, we focus on the financial sector and the vital role of the central bank in ensuring financial stability.
  • Component 3 focuses on themes in Economics; it is assessed in a synoptic nature and is dependent on content from both components 1 and 2. The students will be required to apply their prior learning to particular themes.

Learning approach

We try and bring learning to life, an approach achieved by stimulating the students’ interest in understanding the real world, looking at Great Britain but also at looking at European and world Economics. Our approach to teaching and learning is founded on an ambition to inspire and illuminate. As a Department, we are passionate about our subjects and strive to instil that enthusiasm into our students. We all allow room for independent thinking and provide countless opportunities for independent study. Students are challenged through the material they learn, and we build a culture of investigation and discussion into our lessons to enable them to succeed in the application of theories to varying world scenarios. We encourage the consistent reading of newspapers and magazines.


Enrichment

In addition to classroom-based activities, there are numerous opportunities for students to widen their horizons. We have a thriving Economics Society that runs student-led discussion forums, inter-school debates as well as hosting an array of visiting speakers. The Society has welcomed speakers such as Sir Michael Darrington and Dr Sahar Rad. The students have also opportunities to see the financial sector in action with trips to the Bank of England at the start of their A2 course.