Year 12 Enrichment Week

Year 12 enjoyed a stimulating and varied Enrichment Week following the end of their AS examinations. A group of Economics and Politics students spent a day in the City of London on Monday, visiting the London Metal Exchange (LME) and the offices of Texel, an insurance company. At the LME, which bills itself as 'the world’s premier non-ferrous metals market', they learnt about the high-pressured world of trading and watched the copper traders engage in a frenzied bout of trading. At Texel, they enjoyed an entertaining and educational talk by Mr Lennard, a Channing parent, about the current economic market (difficult) and the emergence of China as a trading nation (awesome). A group of Politics students then visited the new UK Supreme Court, in the heart of Westminster, where they learned about the role of the Law Lords and how their role has changed since they moved across Parliament Square from the House of Lords. The building was originally the Middlesex Guildhall, but Mrs Devine didn't like the new carpet, designed by Sir Peter Blake, who also designed the iconic cover on the Beatles' album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Meanwhile, in the City, the economists visited the iconic Lloyd's of London. They were treated to a panoramic view of the Square Mile from the top of Lord Rogers' building and also learnt about the venerable history of Lloyd's, from its creation as Edward Lloyd’s Coffee House in 1688 to becoming the world’s leading market for specialist insurance.

The rest of the week included a careers day, with a variety of external speakers discussing their jobs and giving advice. There was also an excellent Oxbridge evening and a range of other trips, including a visit to the musical Hair, a tour of the British Museum and Art and Biology outings to the Courtauld Institute and the National History Museum's Darwin Centre.