Monday 25 May 2026
On Thursday 21 May in the late evening, early Friday morning eight King’s College A Level Economics students engaged in very useful discussions with their counterparts at the International School of Como (ISC) in Milan, Italy and Millfield School in Somerset, United Kingdom.
The King's students who were successful in being selected for this programme which is entering its fourth year are:
- Thomas Nand (Year 13, Major)
- Jai Sohal (Year 13, Peart)
- Violet Liu (Year 13, Marion Bruce)
- Samuel Zhou (Year 13, Parnell)
- Harry Edgar (Year 13, School)
- Ishaan Patel (Year 13, Parnell)
- Jemma Oh (Year 13, Taylor)
- Lucas Kidd (Year 13, Selwyn)
In the first meeting students gave a presentation on their respective economy followed by a question and answer session focusing on the similar issues facing each country. All participants are doing the same A Level Economics course and each group consists of four students (two from each school) and a teacher who manages the discussion.
This year is the fourth year of the connection with Millfield’s students but the first with ISC participating in the initiative. The programme was originally set up in 2023 with Tony Shaw - HOD Economics at Millfield. However, when he moved to ISC in Milan, a connection with ISC and King's College was established after the success of the programme previously and the benefits to students. Richard Hood took over as HOD at Millfield and was keen to continue this initiative with his Millfield students.
We strongly believe that a project like this not only fosters curiosity among students, but also enhances global insights, analytical skills and collaborative abilities. It teaches students that beyond their grades, they can also display interest in the wider economics subject and challenge themselves. For our students it is valuable to hear the economic and political issues in both Italy and the UK gives them a sense of global perspective. Furthermore, students from Europe are often very well read in both politics and economics with many of them applying to top Ivy League and Russell Group universities in the USA and UK.
In our next session we will be looking at the historically poor productivity levels in our economies and the challenges ahead for the labour force. This is area that students are particularly interested in.
School Websites:
International School of Como – Milan Italy
Millfield School – Somerset UK
Mark Johnston - Head of Economics