About this event

Conference Theme for 2027: Widening Participation in A-Level Economics

A-Level Economics is enjoying remarkable growth. More students than ever are choosing the subject, Economics is now firmly established as one of the largest A-Levels, and its relevance to the world young people are growing up in has rarely been clearer.

But that success is not being shared equally.

Too many young people still do not have the opportunity to study A-Level Economics. Participation remains heavily skewed towards boys. Access varies significantly between different types of school and college and between different parts of the country. A student’s chances of encountering Economics at A-Level can still depend too much on where they live, which school they attend and whether Economics is already established within its curriculum.

The Economics Teacher National Conference 2027 will bring together Economics teachers, subject leaders, university educators and others committed to changing that.

Our overarching theme is widening participation in Economics: exploring how we can introduce the subject to a broader and more diverse group of young people, encourage more girls to choose Economics, strengthen provision in state-funded schools and colleges, and help Economics flourish in communities and regions where participation remains relatively low.

But widening participation is about more than who chooses Economics.

It is also about what happens before, during and beyond that choice: how the subject is presented to 14–16 year-olds; what young people believe Economics is – and who they believe it is for; how curriculum and classroom practice can make Economics feel relevant, inclusive and connected to students’ lives and the world around them; how we build confidence in the quantitative and analytical skills that Economics develops; and how students from different backgrounds can see themselves belonging and succeeding within the subject.

The conference will also explore what schools, colleges and universities can learn from one another. As higher education increasingly focuses on widening participation, inclusive teaching and student belonging, there is an exciting opportunity to build stronger connections across the Economics education pipeline – sharing ideas about curriculum, pedagogy, quantitative skills, transition and the experiences that help young people see where Economics might take them.

This is therefore not simply a conference about recruitment. It is about widening access to Economics while also widening our understanding of what an inclusive Economics education can look like. It will ask how the questions we explore, the examples we use, the places and experiences we connect Economics to, and the different perspectives we encounter can help more young people recognise Economics as a subject that speaks to their lives and to the challenges facing the world around them.

Alongside this central theme, the conference will retain everything Economics teachers value from high-quality subject CPD: outstanding keynote speakers, practical classroom ideas, subject expertise, specialist breakout sessions and resources that teachers can take straight back into their classrooms.

Our ambition is straightforward:

• More young people encountering Economics.
• More young people seeing Economics as a subject for them.
• More young people studying and succeeding in Economics – from more backgrounds, in more schools and colleges, in every part of the country.