Business

Business Curriculum Intent

Overview

The world of business is extremely relevant to us all. One day students will earn a living by being employed or by being a business owner. The more they understand about the business world, the world of work and the economy the more successful they will be in their chosen field.

The intention of the business curriculum is to support students in developing their understanding of business and how it relates to the world around them so that they can make a positive contribution. To do this successfully they will follow a curriculum that is ambitious for them regardless of their starting point. Students will be challenged to achieve their potential at each stage of their learning journey so that they are able to fulfil their aspirations.

The specific business curriculum begins in year 10, however, students will bring with them existing, key knowledge and understanding from a range of subjects they have been studying and we will weave these through the business learning journey.

The BTEC Tech Award in Enterprise curriculum is designed to help students develop entrepreneurial skills through practical, skills-based learning. This first stage of our curriculum will focus on examining the characteristics of enterprises. Students will also explore how market research helps enterprises meet customer needs and understand competitor behaviour. Students will build on this to investigate the factors that contribute to the success of an enterprise and in doing so develop transferable skills, such as research and data analysis in order to interpret the findings. Our curriculum then moves on to deepen their understanding of the elements of promotion and finance. Students will be able to interpret and use the promotional and financial information that relates to a specific enterprise so that they can make connections between different factors that influence a specific enterprise. In doing this they will be able to critically advise and provide recommendations to a given enterprise on ways to evaluate and improve its performance. The final component of our curriculum focuses on looking at ideas and how to plan for a micro-enterprise activity. Students will continuously develop the skills needed to pitch a micro-enterprise activity and critically evaluate their own pitch for a micro-enterprise activity. Other skills students will develop during this stage of the curriculum are planning and research, presentation, communication and self–reflection skills. This curriculum builds the foundation for the future, once students have completed this journey they will be ready to move forward to study business at a higher level or to apply their knowledge and skills in other connected fields.

The GCSE Business curriculum sequenced logically from how entrepreneurs start businesses, moving forward to growing and global businesses. This is reflected in how we order the content students need to know. Firstly, we will examine the key business concepts, issues and skills involved in starting and running a small business. The curriculum provides a pathway for students to explore core concepts from the perspective of an entrepreneur setting up a business. ir deeper understanding of these basic key business concepts students will then be able to study how a business develops beyond the start-up phase. The curriculum focus then turns to how to grow a business, with an emphasis on aspects of marketing, operations, finance and human resources. We will also consider the impact of the wider world on the decisions a business makes as it grows. Students will extend their analytical and evaluative skills and be able to use these to present justifiable arguments for suitable for business growth.

KS4

GCSE Business – Edexcel/Pearson

Useful websites for revision and additional support:

https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/business-2017.html

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/examspecs/z98snbk

Useful websites for revision and additional support:

https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/business-2017.html

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/examspecs/z98snbk

The Business Curriculum Intent in Key Stage 5

The BTEC Extended Certificate in Business curriculum begins with consolidating and deepening students understanding of the purposes of different businesses and their structure. The focus then moves to the impact the external environment has on business and how businesses need to be dynamic and innovative to survive, the curriculum will provide opportunities to build their cultural capital. Equipped with a deeper understanding of the fundamental business principles students will now investigate the areas of personal and business finance. The subsequent component of the curriculum is the field of marketing and how marketing campaigns are developed. Finally, students will investigate the area of customer service. This aspect of the curriculum will see students continue to build, a deeper understanding of theoretical concepts in the field of customer service, as well as, the essential communication and interpersonal skills needed to deliver good quality customer service experiences.

KS5

BTEC Business – Extended Certificate

Useful websites for revision and additional support:

https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/btec-nationals/business-2016.html

Year 13

Useful websites for revision and additional support:

https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/btec-nationals/business-2016.html