On Thursday 30th November, Year 13 Economists braved the cold snap and enjoyed a trip to the City of London. In the morning, we went on a walking tour focusing on the financial sights in the City. We spent time looking up at the buildings, not down for once! Students learnt about liveries, the LSEG, the Roman origins of the City and the Mayoral System. We walked through the streets where the first business meetings took place in coffee shops. The Economists were surprised at the juxtaposition of Leadenhall market and the Lloyds insurance building next door and how influential Bloomberg and the Rothschilds have been. We debated the future of the City due to Brexit and Canary Wharf’s growth. Students were interested to learn about HSBC’s move back to near St Paul’s.
In the afternoon we visited the Bank of England. After a trip to the museum to touch a gold bar worth over £600,000, we listened to a talk on Monetary Policy. The talk went through the history of the Bank and its current workings and purpose. The speaker allowed us a long Q and A session and students grilled her on quantitative tightening and the future of the Bank. This reinforced the content students had learnt in class and puts them in good stead for their A level.
