Business
Intent
Being Enterprising is widely recognised as a key skill in modern life. It encourages us to be independent, creative and enables us to make effective decisions. Whilst Business is only a GCSE subject, the teaching of enterprise is delivered all-through the school for example in Work Related Learning and enterprise days.
GCSE Business equips students with the skills and confidence to explore how different business situations affect decision-making. They develop their understanding of concepts, objectives and terminology, and the impact of contemporary issues on business operations. This GCSE will enable students to develop life skills by making them financially and commercially aware. It is an excellent introduction to a wide range of further study opportunities, as well as being very useful for those pursuing apprenticeships when they leave school.
Implementation
The course is split into two sections. Business Paper 1 is taught in Year 10 and focuses on enterprise and how businesses setup and grow, the different types of ownership, marketing and the work of a human resources department. Business Paper 2 is taught in Year 11, which looks at how production is managed, supply chains and consumer law. We also learn about how businesses finance their operations and manage profitability. Finally, we consider the wider influences that may affect businesses such as Government policy, the environment and Ethics.
Successful businesses are those that understand and respond to the markets that they operate in. To ensure that students can relate to this we deliver a broad and balanced curriculum which makes regular use of the business news and other issues such as environmental concerns. We also regularly use local business stories to help pupils gain a deeper understanding of the community in which they live, and may go on to work in. This wider focus helps build our decision making and analytical skills by considering how we would deal with a variety of situations both local and national. This gives students a starting point for further discovery on the impact that business makes on all of our lives.
In order to give pupils realistic opportunities to experience business decisions, we give them the opportunity to engage in enterprise activities both in house and activities designed by real businesses.
We test our knowledge through the use of past examination questions and end of module tests. The skill of writing well developed business arguments is also built over the course by tackling increasingly complex scenarios.
Every pupil will engage in the business world when they leave education as either a consumer, employee or entrepreneur. The provision of effective business and enterprise education will give pupils a foundation of well-rounded knowledge and skills, with which to transition to their future.