Business Studies
Our aim: “To broaden the knowledge and understanding of students of the business world and to develop within them an appreciation of the influences and constraints within which businesses work. By acquiring an understanding of these issues and considering them in a national and international context students will be able to develop their own values and standards. This will better prepare them for the workplace and help them to make informed choices about their future careers.”
Courses
KS3 – all year 9 students have the option of choosing Enterprise course which follows the OCR ‘Organising an Enterprise Activity’. This course requires students to complete 3 modules that can lead to an Entry Level qualification at levels 1, 2 and 3. Each module is based on a separate theme and requires students to actively participate in enterprise ventures, for example module 1 is based on marketing a toy. Each unit is assessed by an exam board set written assignment and culminates in a Dragon’s Den style competition at the end of year 9.
KS4 – we offer three different courses for years ten and eleven. GSCE Business studies follows the Edexcel course and introduces students to the theory of starting a business and seeing that business grow to become a multinational corporation. GCSE Leisure and Tourism allows students to study one of the most important industries for the UK economy. Research into travel destinations and leisure activities gives students a detailed understanding of the industry. We have recently introduced a Btec qualification in Business and whilst this covers many of the aspects of the GCSE course it is designed to appeal to students who prefer a more investigative, individual approach to their studies and is assessed by coursework only. In KS4 we are also trialling new homework/assessment booklets, this allows students to keep a record of their completed homeworks and evidence of peer and self-assessment.
KS5 – we offer AS/A2 courses in Accountancy (AQA), Business Studies (AQA), Economics (OCR), and Travel and Tourism (AQA). This suite of courses is designed to cover the full spectrum of business related learning and offers something for any student thinking of a future career in business.
As a Specialist school in business and enterprise we also offer a full range of extra-curricular opportunities for all students, including the Young Enterprise company programme, Young Consumer, IFS Student Investor Challenge, Make Your Mark Challenge and the Chartered Management Institute Team Leaders Award.