Business Studies

Intent:

Our intent is to equip our learners with skills and knowledge that can be easily transferred and adapted to just about any future career or job position imaginable.

The Business Department aims to equip learners with a broad understanding of the world of business by applying subject concepts to real-world issues. We do this by quality-first teaching, which ensures learners understand the underlying Business theory that learners apply to a variety of familiar and unfamiliar case studies. We want learners to be able to think analytically, reach logical conclusions based on data, and make judgments on future changes to markets and the economy. As a natural part of virtually all lessons, learners are encouraged to look at what is happening in the world at all levels and to try and understand the issue and often the solution through the eyes of an entrepreneur. This not only helps their learning, but also, shows them the relevance and significance of the subject in today’s society.

Further information

Our curriculum

We aim to deliver Key Stage 4 curricula that stretches learners to think critically and evaluate different decisions taken by all levels of management within business. Learners will become ethically aware as they learn the principles and moral or ethical problems which can afflict households, businesses, and/or governments, and consider their place in tackling some of the challenges that face humanity. With the knowledge developed and retained using stringent assessment systems, learners are encouraged to make informed decisions in relation to different business contexts. This builds confidence in learners and gives them an insight into real-world decision-making, which they are likely to use in their future working life. Cultural capital is an integral part of the subjects as we engage with broad political, economic, social, and technological cultural contexts and how they influence different types of business and individual lives.

Implementation: Teaching and planning

Business is a mixed ability option and high expectations are fundamental to the department. All learners are appropriately challenged irrespective of their ability. We ensure the level of challenge is high enough for the most able, with scaffold and support available for learners who need it. Our lessons are designed to inspire and challenge our learners to value diversity, be open-minded, develop teamwork skills, take risks and develop their financial awareness. Our curricula is well sequenced and layered to enable learners to develop their schema in their long-term memory, enabling our learners to effectively learn the curriculum. We aim for our curricula to be one where all learners develop deep, long-lasting knowledge that they use to process new information and form strong links within and between the different subject areas. All lessons have four essential aspects to them:

• Retrieval practice – begin lessons with a short review of previous learning
• Teacher input – questioning, guide student practice, provide models and provide scaffolds for difficult tasks
• Assessment for learning – teachers checking that learners have understood taught content
• Student application – independent, deliberate practice to reinforce and master learning.

Assessment

Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1):  In Business (1BS0) the specification is structured into two themes, taking students from how entrepreneurs start businesses (Theme 1) through to growing and global businesses (Theme 2). There are two equally weighted exam papers, focusing on each specification theme. In Yr10 students study theme 1 which concentrates on the key business concepts, issues and skills involved in starting and running a small business. It provides a framework for students to explore core concepts through the lens of an entrepreneur setting up a business. In this theme, students will be introduced to local and national business contexts and will develop an understanding of how these contexts impact business behaviour and decisions. Local contexts refer specifically to small businesses or those operating in a single UK location and national contexts relate to businesses operating in more than one location or across the UK. Students will develop an understanding of the interdependent nature of business activity through interactions between business operations, finance, marketing and human resources, as well as the relationship between the business and the environment in which it operates. Students must understand how these interdependencies and relationships underpin business decisions. A range of exam technique skills will be developed throughout each topic with repeated practice, starting with shorter 2 and 3 mark responses, building to 12 mark answers. Answers will be fully scaffolded to start with and students will be shown examples of successful responses to help them build towards writing their own structured responses. Assessments are completed at the end of each topic to allow students to develop their exam technique accurately. Each assessment is used to inform future learning in the next topic, allowing teachers to gauge which concepts will need further development through exam technique work.

Impact

Throughout the Business curricula, learners will take a journey that develops their knowledge and skills to evaluate the dynamics of a range of businesses. This will lead to an outcome where learners enjoy their learning to make good progress by applying the knowledge and skills to the subject as well as events faced in their everyday pathways.

Curriculum time allocation

KS4 (Years 10 and 11) - 5 hours per fortnight

Homework policy

Business Studies homework policy

Curriculum pathways

KS4

KS4 Personal Learning Checklists (PLC)

1.1 Enterprise and Entrepreneurship

1.2 Spotting a Business Opportunity

1.3 Putting a Business Idea into Practice

1.4 Making the Business Effective

1.5 Understanding External Influences on Business

2.1 Growing the Business

2.2 Making Marketing Decisions

2.3 Making Operational Decisions

2.4 Making Financial Decisions

2.5 Making Human Resource Decisions

KS4 exam information

Department Contact

Mrs Z Ali
zali@sandhurstschool.org.uk