Social Science
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The Social Science Department is the largest in the Sixth Form, with twelve sets in a typical year. It covers three separate subjects, of which Economics is largest, attracting around 65 boys each year. Government & Politics has steadily become more popular with around 35 boys in a typical year, and Business Studies has around 25 boys in a typical year. Virtually all boys in the Department continue these subjects through from AS to A2 level, and well over half of the Department’s students go on to read a university degree related to the Department’s subject(s) studied at A level.
The Economics course is organised so that Microeconomics and Macroeconomics are studied in parallel. The operation of markets is examined together with the study of central economic issues such as unemployment, inflation and the UK's role in both the European and world economy. The Department follows the AQA specification. For AS Economics, this involves examination papers in Microeconomics, Macroeconomics and Markets at Work (focusing on Housing and the Environment). At A2 level, boys study more advanced Micro and Macro theory, together with a module devoted to the Economics of Europe. There is no coursework.
Students taking Government and Politics study the British and American political systems with an emphasis on comparative government and major current political themes. The Department follows the Edexcel specification. At AS level, this involves examination papers in British Politics, British Government and The Changing UK System. At A2 level, the papers cover American Politics, American Government and Comparative Politics. There is no coursework.
Business Studies has been taught since its inception over thirty years ago; the specification encourages the use of case studies to encourage the application of theory in practical situations. The OCR specification is followed which involves AS examination papers in Business Objectives, Business Decisions and Business Behaviour. At A2 level, Marketing and Accounting and Finance are studied to a deeper level before being examined via a paper based on an unseen case study. There is also a 4,000-word research project based on a business and a title of the student's own choice that students undertake in their own time. Finally, the synoptic module involves the strategic appreciation of running a business, based on an 8-page pre-issued case study.
The Department's courses are popular throughout the ability range, and boys combine them with either Mathematics and Science, or else with a variety of humanities subjects such as History, English, Modern Languages and Geography. Ten or more candidates are prepared each year for Oxbridge application, to read Economics, PPE, Economics & Management, Social and Political Sciences and Modern History and Politics. Potential Oxbridge candidates attend a one hour seminar held each Wednesday afternoon, where they are introduced to demanding work in moral philosophy, through comparative government, mathematical economics and advanced economic theory. Some particularly able boys will also be entered for the Advanced Extension Award papers in Economics.
The Department places considerable emphasis on the acquisition and development of individual study skills, and this is reflected in its teaching approach which combines traditional classroom activity with seminars, debates, individual research initiatives, and computer-aided learning. Most of the material used in the process of instruction, including spreadsheets, is prepared by members of the Department, thus ensuring its topicality as well as its suitability for groups of varying ability. Boys are encouraged to make regular use of the Departmental Resource Centres, which are well-stocked with specialist volumes, academic journals and government publications.
Four Upper Sixth Economics students are selected to participate in The Bank of England's National Target 2.0 competition, assuming the role of the members of the Monetary Policy Committee in arriving at an interest rate decision. The team from Tonbridge won this competition in 2006, and we are using some of the prize money to commission a mural which will depict the development of economic thought through time. In Business Studies, boys are given the opportunity to participate in the Kent Schools Business Challenge; affording the opportunity to devise a marketing strategy for a local company.
The Social Science Society attracts many high profile public figures from the world of business, economics and politics as visiting speakers. There is also an active Sixth Form political discussion group which meets fortnightly, covering a range of issues from terrorism to the fortunes of the Conservative Party, the purpose of exams and the debate surrounding hunting.
Finally, the Department runs an annual, ten-day trip in the October half-term to the United States of America - visiting New York City and Washington DC. The Programme is tailored to suit the Department’s students, with visits including Congress, national pressure groups (such as the NRA), the Federal Reserve, the World Bank, investment banks (such as CSFB) and multi-national businesses (such as Toys R Us).