Business and Economics
Y11 Visit to Cadbury World
Business Enterprise Fundraising for Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance Jan 2011
Vision
Enabling our students to become effective consumers, producers, employees and citizens.
Mission Statement
We aim to prepare our students for the future and a world of change by equipping them with the employability and entrepreneurial skills, economic and business understanding and financial awareness that will be required during the 21st century.
We aim to develop crucial employability skills such as team working, problem solving, communication, commercial awareness and self management. A positive attitude; a readiness to take part and contribute; an openness to new ideas and a drive to make these ideas happen are all essential elements of a ‘can do approach.’ We will work with our students to develop their potential to become effective consumers, producers, employees and citizens.
We are a collaborative and progressive team that aims to provide outstanding teaching and rich opportunities for learning, by developing innovative approaches. We are a reflective, inclusive, forward thinking and positive team.
As a team we have strong, shared values and high expectations: we strive for further improvements to the benefit and well-being of every student.
Background to Department
The Department undertakes a variety of visits to support the students. Recently, students have visited Paris – to participate in a ‘Your Future in Europe Conference,’ London – a variety of industrial visits including Coca-Cola, BBC Studios, Young’s Brewery, Bank of England, Wembley and Twickenham. Other visits have included Old Trafford, Cadbury World, Star City, Alton Towers, Drayton Manor, Butlins, Torre Cider Farm, Styles Ice Cream and a number of national retail centres (Merry Hill and Trafford Centre).
The Department is based in the Gibbs block, where most teaching takes place. We have one room set up for exclusive sixth form use, which has our ICT facilities, a KS4 teaching room and some access to rooms shared with ICT. All rooms have electronic projectors which students are encouraged to use as part of their work. The block also contains the Department office which holds many resources used in teaching the subject.
The Department promotes subjects to all levels of ability, including GCSE (aimed at Level 2 students) and BTEC (aimed at Level 1 students) Business at Key Stage 4, and Advanced Applied Business at Single/Double AS and Single/Double A level and A Level Economics for Key Stage 5. The Department is well stocked with up-to-date journals (currently subscribing to The Economist, Business Review, Economics Review, Which? and the EBEA teaching journal). The Department has a variety of textbooks available for the students to use. The Department has four members of staff at present.
There are approximately 150 students following GCSE and BTEC Business at Key Stage 4, and 60 students at Key Stage 5.
Local businesses that have supported the Department in recent months include: Butlins, Morrisons, McDonalds, Tesco, Styles Ice Cream, Torre Cider Farm, local Alcombe businesses and the West Somerset Railway.
The Department has also run a number of enterprise activities to support charities, those that have benefited include; Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, Cancer Research, Leukaemia Research UK, Breast Cancer Research, The RNLI and CLIC.
KEY STAGE 4
The choice of Business courses in KS4 are as follows:
§ GCSE Business
§ BTEC Business
GCSE Business (Level 2)
This course is designed for students who prefer exams to course work as a form of assessment.
Students will undertake three compulsory units:
Marketing and Enterprise
(25% of final mark)
This unit is assessed by a controlled assessment (course work produced at College under strict conditions). The unit covers a variety of topics including market research and analysis, marketing mix, enterprise, the entrepreneur and the business plan.
Business and People
(25% of final mark)
This unit is assessed by an exam, and content includes ownership, activities, companies, employment, communication and organisation.
Production, Finance and External Environment
(50% of final mark)
This unit includes production methods, management, sources of finance, UK economy and globalisation. It is assessed by an examination.
Successful completion of the course will result in one GCSE at grade A*-G.
BTEC Certificate Business (level 1)
This course is designed for students who prefer course work as a form of assessment, where you will be assessed through tasks set by your teachers. There are no written exams.
This course is designed to give students a practical introduction to the skills, knowledge and understanding required to work in a business, whilst developing their personal skills in team-working and career planning.
Students will undertake three compulsory units:
(1) Business Purposes
An investigation of four contrasting businesses; focusing on industrial sectors, ownership and the impact of the government.
(2) Business Organisations
An investigation of two businesses with contrasting aims; objectives and functions.
(3) People in Organisations
A practical unit where students must prepare a career plan, produce a CV, complete an application form and undertake an interview.
Successful completion of the course will result in a BTEC qualification at Pass, Merit or Distinction level (equivalent to one GCSE)
Progression. Students who succeed in getting a Distinction can go onto study A-Level Business in Sixth Form, take other A-Level courses or go into employment.
SIXTH FORM
OCR Advanced Applied Business Studies (1 or 2 A Levels)
You can take business as a one year course (units 1-3) or you can study six units for a single award (one A Level). If you are considering studying Business in more detail then you can choose the 12 unit award (worth two A Levels).
A number of units are delivered, including; Recruitment, Marketing, Management, Business Planning, Training and Strategic Management.
As part of the A2, all students prepare a Business Plan which they then present to other people, identifying strengths and weaknesses in a bid to obtain finance. This is often regarded as the most rewarding unit!
The Advanced Applied is two-thirds course work and one-third exam.
AQA A Level Economics
Course involves studying Microeconomic and Macroeconomic issues. These could include:
§ Why are house prices falling so quickly?
§ How can we solve global poverty?
§ Do green politics stack up?
§ Can pollution effectively be controlled?
§ What is the credit crunch?
§ Should the government intervene in the market?
§ What happens to the economy if people spend more?
§ How are we affected by changes to the Indian and Chinese economy?
§ Why does the government have an inflation target and how does it
affect us?
Students will have two exams in AS and two exams in A2.
Next Steps from 6th Form Business or Economics: Direct entry into University degree courses, management training and variety of jobs in industry.