HEAD’S WELCOME GEOFFREY STANFORD

WELCOME

GEOFFREY STANFORD HEAD

It is a real pleasure to introduce this ONA Magazine focusing on 60 years of teaching of Economics at the RGS. There are some fascinating recollections that I hope readers will find interesting. Amongst others, we have contributions from a former Head of Department, Geoff Riley, whom I have known for a number of years, and I am looking forward to hearing him speak at the Newcastle ONA dinner on the 14th of October 2022. It is also an opportune moment to celebrate the impact that another former Head of Department and still serving member of staff, Roger Loxley, has had over the last 27 years at the school. At the end of this year, he will be stepping down from his role as Deputy Head Academic after 17 years, though he will be continuing to teach part time.

I should note that I have a particular interest in Economics myself. Indeed, while I was at school, a careers aptitude test advised that I should become an economist. However, an economist came to speak who was so dull that I chose instead to read Classics at university. It is funny how things can work out –following time in the City, I have found myself teaching Economics for most of my teaching career. I am, however, very grateful for the many economists among the RGS alumni who make possible the annual Economics trip to London and speak to our pupils far more engagingly than that experience of mine all those years ago.

We are also fortunate to have such an impressive Economics department with teachers who are specialists in their subject, capable of inspiring and motivating our students. Consequently, uptake of the subject at the RGS continues to be strong at both GCSE and A Level, with almost 300 students in Years 10 to 13 currently taking the subject. Indeed, Economics appeals to many at the RGS as it combines rigorous analysis of concepts with a very practical approach to the world we live in; the theory being taught in the classroom can be directly applied to events in the news. It is therefore both rewarding to teach and exciting to learn. I hope that this magazine provides readers with a good sense of the energy and enthusiasm for Economics at the RGS.