Economics
Economics and business management provide a window into the way the world operates and a greater understanding of issues that affect us all.
The KE Enterprise Exchange brings together Upper Middles and Fourths pupils at KES and their equivalents at KEHS for a programme designed to encourage entrepreneurship.
Across six sessions, pupils take part in a mixture of Breakfast Briefings with entrepreneurs and practical after-school sessions, culminating in a pitch for the opportunity to secure seed funding to support the most commercially viable ideas. The programme attracts over 100 pupils from across the two schools.
Please note the school does not offer GCSE Economics or GCSE Business.
Economics is a fascinating subject in part because it touches on so many other disciplines, such as politics, business, history, geography, and psychology. The great economist, John Maynard Keynes, once stated that an economist must be “mathematician, historian, statesman, and philosopher… He must understand symbols yet speak in words.”
A Level Economics provides a good grounding for those who wish to study the subject at university as well as being a stimulating course for those not intending to study the subject further. It fits well into most subject combinations, providing a useful crossover between the arts and the sciences. The performance of the UK economy affects us all; economic policies are key issues in all general elections. An understanding of Economics therefore is a valuable part of a general
education as well as a useful attribute for many careers. Pupils undertaking the course will feel they better understand the world around them.
Future careers
Economics is a good introduction to the subject at university, which is more mathematical than post-16 Economics. It is also a subject that leads to a number of interesting careers, notably in academia and financial services, banking and management consultancy. The applicability of economics extends beyond traditional fields, with a growing significance in environmental careers, which are expected to gain prominence in the years ahead.
Beyond the classroom
The department offers weekly extension sessions in the summer and autumn term for those wishing to apply to read Economics at leading universities. Pupils throughout the school are encouraged to enter a range of national business and economics competitions. However, the best way for boys to develop their understanding of the subject is to experience it: reflecting upon how they allocate their leisure time, thinking about the factors that influence their spending habits, and keeping abreast of current affairs in broadsheet newspapers and reputable websites. If boys wish to develop their interests further, the library is well-stocked with the most up-to-date books in the area.
Meet the Head of Department
Mr Watson
Mr Watson graduated with a PPE degree from Oxford, and has since taught Economics for 29 years: in Sri Lanka, where he also worked as a journalist and appeared in a Sinhalese teledrama, at Winchester, spending a decade as Head of Department and, albeit briefly, teaching Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and now currently at King Edward’s School.
He’s been a Principal Examiner in Economics, runs his own Economics blog Scoop It! and is a lead contributor to Tutor2U’s Economics blog, which gets over 1 million views each week. He’s married with two sons, both currently at King Edward’s School. Mr Watson is also a Co-Chair of Governors at Park Hill Primary School, Moseley. In his spare time he enjoys reading, cooking, drinking fine wine and watching sports. He loves adventurous travel, and met his wife on an island in the middle of the Zambezi River.
