Business & Economics

Welcome

Our Business courses offer students insights into the main functions of running a business which include but are not limited to finance, marketing, operations, human resources and management and leadership. Moreover, they will learn how businesses are influenced by wider social trends, changes in law and the economic environment. Our business courses support a range of future career pathways in any of these business areas and can complement their employability in a range of industries as they develop a broader understanding of different business contexts as well as further study.

Our Economics courses offer students the opportunity to build foundational understanding of abstract models of individual consumer and business behaviour relating to the allocation of scarce resources, how prices are determined in a market economy, and how financial markets operate. Moreover, they will understand how to model and predict likely outcomes in markets following policy changes and wider events (shocks) such as changes in interest rates or tax rates as well as international trade flows and foreign exchange markets. Our economics courses support a range of future career pathways in a range of sectors or specialisms and complements their employability as well as further study.

Key Staff

Mrs R Heffernan - Head of Business and Economics Department
Mrs C Shepherd - Vocational Lead; Teacher in charge of BTEC Business
Mr M Jackson - Teacher of Business
Mr L McCarthy - Teacher of Business
Mr R Dangerfield - Teacher of Business

Curriculum Intent

“People who avoid failure also avoid success.” Robert T. Kiyosaki

Our intent is to equip our learners with confidence and resilience to take on an entirely new subject. We will support them in developing a detailed understanding of new vocabulary and concepts and seek to develop their analytical and critical thinking skills to progress well on the courses as well as support their future employment.

Key Stage 4

GCSE Business (Eduqas)

We offer the Eduqas GCSE in Business, which is a 100% exam at the end of Year 11 with no coursework. Students will learn 6 topic areas: Business Activity; Marketing; Finance; Operations; Human Resources; and External Influences on Business. We support students with real-world examples and opportunities to develop their subject specialist vocabulary to succeed on the course. Our students will develop the ability to analyse a range of different business contexts and scenarios as well as develop their ability to make informed final decisions for a business. https://www.eduqas.co.uk/qualifications/business-gcse/#tab_keydocuments

Summary Curriculum Plans

GCSE Business Year 10 2024-25

GCSE Business Year 11 2024-25

GCSE Economics (OCR)

We offer the OCR Economics GCSE in Economics, which is a 100% exam at the end of Year 11 with no coursework. The course is split between microeconomics (individual consumer and producer behaviours and markets including financial and labour markets) and macroeconomics (national and international economics which includes policies from governments relating to taxes, spending and trade, central banks, globalisation, and money and foreign exchange markets). Our students will develop the ability to apply economic theory and models to real-world situations and contexts to support analysis and critical thinking. This will allow students to weigh up costs and benefits for different stakeholder groups in different scenarios and predict likely outcomes. https://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/gcse/economics-j205-from-2017/

Summary Curriculum Plans

GCSE Economics Year 10 2024-25

GCSE Economics Year 11 2024-25

Key Stage 5

A-Level Business (AQA)

Curriculum Intent

We offer the AQA A-level Business course, which consists of 3 exams at the end of Year 13 and no coursework. Students do not need to have studied Business GCSE to join the course. Students will learn about business functions (marketing, finance, human resources, leadership and management, operations) in-depth as well as gain insights into development of business strategy, organisational culture and the ability to use tools to assess business performance and business decision making including critical path analysis and investment appraisal techniques. We seek to offer students opportunities to enrich their understanding beyond the exam specification with a range of in-class and outside of lesson activities throughout the year. This course supports students in pursuing degree and non-degree apprenticeships as well as further study of Business and related subjects at University. https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/business/as-and-a-level/business-7131-7132

Summary Curriculum Plans

A-Level Economics (Edexcel)

Curriculum Intent

We offer the Edexcel A-level Economics course, which consists of 3 exams at the end of Year 13 and no coursework. Students do not need to have studied Economics GCSE to join the course. Students will learn about microeconomics (individual and collective behaviour, model the impact of policies and events on individual markets and the impact on a range of agents; market failure and policies to resolve them; market structures firm behaviour and regulation and labour markets) as well as macroeconomics which is split into National Economy (macroeconomic indicators, monetary policy, government taxation and spending, public finances; as well as modelling the impact on households and investors to economic shocks and changes in policies) and International Economy (International Trade Models, Foreign Exchange Markets, Poverty and Inequality and Financial Markets and Development Economics). We seek to offer students opportunities to enrich their understanding beyond the exam specification with a range of in-class and outside of lesson activities throughout the year. This course supports students in pursuing degree and non-degree apprenticeships as well as further study of Economics and related subjects at University. https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-a-levels/economics-a-2015.html

Summary Curriculum Plans

Level 3 Business Diploma and Extended Certificate BTEC (Edexcel)

Curriculum Intent

The Level 3 BTEC Business curriculum aims to offer learners a wealth of opportunities to develop academically and personally. Learners will explore different established businesses, develop a marketing campaign and examine personal and business finance. The optional unit is Unit 14 Investigating Customer Service which provides an opportunity for learners studying the BTEC qualification to enhance their employability skills. Our aim is to give learners transferable skills to enable smooth transition from the classroom to university or apprenticeships. We believe this creates learners with a well-rounded experience of the world of business and vital knowledge of current affairs.

These courses are ideal for students wishing to work in any business environment in the future and could be taken alongside other AS/A2 qualifications (but not A-Level Business). The course has UCAS points and can therefore be used to apply at many universities in the UK and abroad.

Full course information can be found at:https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/btec-nationals/business-2016.html

Summary Curriculum Plans

Homework Intent

Our intent is to provide opportunities for extended practice, create opportunities for creativity and choice, and to develop students’ capacity for independent learning.

Inclusion

It is our intent that pupils with special educational needs/disabilities (SEND) follow the same curriculum, learn alongside their peers and achieve similar outcomes.

In addition, they may benefit from additional opportunities in the lessons and in the co-curricular activities that are arranged especially for them.

Our curricula in Business and Economics are ambitious and designed to give all learners, including disadvantaged pupils and including learners with SEN/D, the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life. We ensure the level of challenge is appropriate for all, with scaffold and support available for learners who need it.

SEND Implementation and Impact

Pupil Premium Intent

Literacy

Reading Aims:

To ensure students are equipped to understand command words in questions.
To ensure students are equipped with a range of independent reading strategies to aid comprehension when reading.
To ensure students are equipped with a range of independent reading strategies when interpreting company reports/business and economics magazine identifying key topic related issues, and evaluating qualitative and quantitative data.
To support students in understanding the demands of the questions that they encounter in their reading, for example context and evaluation hooks.
To encourage students to read for pleasure outside of the lessons.

Literacy Strategies

Co-Curricular

Broader experiences that take the subjects beyond the confines of the classroom and the exam board that enrich the lives and opportunities of all our students.

We currently run an annual Stock Market Challenge Day trip to the ICMA Centre at Reading University where students get the opportunity to trade stocks and shares, negotiate prices to buy and sell and improve their real-time analytical skills for Year 12 Business and Economics students.

In Business, we also offer Year 9 students a Tuesday lunchtime drop-in ‘Watch and Learn’ club to talk to us and watch snippets of documentaries to learn more about businesses in the real world and understand the connection to the course.

In Economics, we offer a trip for A-Level students to the annual Festival of Economics in Bristol for students to experience a range of lectures from academics from the major British universities such as Cambridge and Bristol as well as notable economists from the Bank of England, as well as journalists from The Times, and Financial Times. We also arrange for students to stretch their academic abilities and enter the Harvard International Economics Essay Competition open to Year 10 to Year 12 Economics students and engage with workshops at the Institute of Economic Affairs in Westminster.

Festival of Economics