Stretford Grammar School hosted the IEA and Vinson Centre School Conference on 4 November 2026. Sixth form business studies and economics students from schools across Trafford attended the event.

Three experts from the Institute of Economic Affairs led sessions for the visiting students. Dr Stephen Davies, Senior Education Fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs, opened the event with an examination of trade, protectionism, and globalisation.

Anthony Boutall delivered a presentation titled "From Gini to Justice: A Study of Inequality". His talk introduced the Gini coefficient as a summary metric for income distribution. He presented data on global income trends between 1800 and 2015. He detailed the impact of UK cash benefits and direct taxes on original income ratios between rich and poor households. His talk featured philosophical arguments from G E Cohen, John Rawls, and Robert Nozick. Students joined "The Island" simulation to make policy decisions on wealth creation, tax rates, and market incentives.

Stephen Dunne, Programmes and Research Officer at the Institute of Economic Affairs, presented "Economic Crises Across History & The Lessons We Can Learn From Them". His session covered historical events: currency debasement in the third-century Roman Empire, Dutch Tulip Mania in 1636, and the French Mississippi Bubble in 1719. He drew three main conclusions: state price controls create market shortages, state risk removal causes moral hazard, and central bank independence preserves monetary stability.

Miss Platt, Curriculum Leader for Business Studies, stated: "This conference gave our students direct exposure to high-level academic debate. Discussions on wealth distribution, tax policy, and historic market collapses challenged sixth formers from across Trafford to apply classroom concepts to real-world dilemmas. Many thanks to the speakers for their engaging presentations”.