News and blog

Economics and Business Studies

Business and Economics Society

Our Sixth Form Business and Economics students have demonstrated fantastic imagination and big picture thinking in the presentations they have delivered in our Business and Economics Society.

This academic club is open to all students in Years 7 to 13 and is led by Sixth Form students, who independently research and present to peers on topics of their choice. This year's topics have included:

  • Chinese and Indian economies
  • Development and environmental economics
  • Economics and engineering
  • The Italian car industry
  • The K-Pop industry
  • Social media influencers
  • Property development in Lagos
  • The Thomas Cook collapse
  • The exploitation of children in LEDCs by popular high street brands

Thank you to the following girls for giving up their time to research and deliver these presentations so confidently: Gabby B., Eugenia C., Anna C., Jasmine C., Tabitha D., Safiya D., Miriam E.-N., Louise L., Paula P., Bushra R., Huda S. and Emily T. 

National competitions

Three of our economics students, Cecilia K., Louise L. and Sally Z., further demonstrated their impressive independent learning and critical thinking skills through their entries into the Royal Economics Society and other essay competitions, tackling issues ranging from carbon emissions to Universal Basic Income.  

Student Investor Challenge

Over 60 students from Years 9 to 13 took part in our annual Student Investor Challenge, which sees students play the London Stock Exchange with a pot of 200,000 virtual pounds.

Special mention should go to Cecilia K., Louise L., Lucy Q. and Sally Z. for their team ‘Winner Winner Chicken Dinner’ being the top-placed St Mary’s team nationally in 2019, with Freya B., Imogen H.-H., Emily H. and Felicity W. for ‘Clout Nine’ following that feat in 2020.

We also entered 5 teams of Year 12 students into the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales BASE competition. This difficult challenge tests a range of critical thinking and mathematical precision skills, requiring students to act as business advisors to a firm facing multiple proposals. It was particularly pleasing to see that over half of the students taking part were not studying Business or Economics, but were nonetheless developing their skill sets.  

Extended learning

Our Economics and Business A Level students also enjoyed a visit to the Bank of England and Museum of Brands in London, as well as an economics lecture series called Economics in Action.

Many other students have also taken advantage of the fantastic opportunities available to them at the University of Cambridge, attending lectures from the Festival of Ideas on issues such as gender inequality and climate change.

This range of activities enabled the students to explore many familiar concepts beyond the parameters of the syllabus, helping students to see alternative perspectives on topics such as asset bubbles, quantitative easing and market segmentation. 

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