Economics Masterclass for years 12 and 13: the £3.50 coffee – who really gets your money?

An interactive economics masterclass for year 12 and 13 pupils, three hours long and held on campus. It is run by staff from the SOAS Department of Economics as a free widening participation event, open only to pupils at state schools, academies and colleges, with applications due by the morning of 12 October 2026. The session traces a £3.50 flat white back through cafés, roasters and exporters to the farms of the Global South, asking who really profits, why growers receive so little, and what environmental and social costs are missing from the price. Participants also play an interactive economics game about bargaining power and unequal outcomes, and the day includes a campus tour and a higher education workshop led by student ambassadors.