FOUR students from the sixth form at Droitwich Spa High School had the chance recently to take part in the Worcestershire and Warwickshire heats of a national competition to balance the country’s budget.

The students competed against seven other schools, analysing economic data from the UK and across the globe in the same way that the Government’s own Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) does each month. They had to decide what might be likely to impact on inflation and the financial position of the UK, before ultimately choosing whether or not to adjust the country’s budget to meet a two per cent inflation target set by the Government.

The team then had to face an intimidating set of judges from the Bank of England and answer questions justifying why they made the decisions they did.

Mr Jon Brook, who teaches economics at Droitwich Spa High School, said: “I am very proud of the presentation our students gave. They had a sound understanding of the economic pressures faced by the MPC and showed that they could handle a lot of data and make decisions based on sound economic thinking. It is really important that students have some understanding of the economics of the society in which they live and this competition really opens their eyes to it.”

The heat was won by the team from King Edward Sixth School in Stratford, which recommended policies identical to those of both the Monetary Policy Committee and the Asset Purchase Facility. They will now go on to compete against the winners of the 41 other regional heats

The chair of the judging panel, Neil Ashbridge, said “It was a tough decision and the winners clearly excelled in answering the questions”.