Business and Economics
Y11 Visit to Cadbury World - October 2008
Cancer Research UK: Pink and Blue Day - March 2008
The Business and Economics Department aims to provide a challenging and vocationally relevant experience for students in order to prepare them for further/higher education and the world of work. We aim to make the work relevant by providing case studies of real businesses and working with companies to meet course requirements.
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, Young’s Brewery, Bank of England, Wembley and Twickenham. Other visits include 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 Applied GCSE, GCSE and a combined Level 1 Business and ICT 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 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 three members of staff at present.
There are approximately 150 students following Applied GCSE / GCSE / Level One Business at Key Stage 4, and 60 students at Key Stage 5.
Businesses that have supported the Department in recent months include: Butlins, 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; Cancer Research, Leukaemia Research UK, Breast Cancer Research, The RNLI and CLIC.
KEY STAGE 4
The choice of Business courses in KS 4 are as follows:
- Applied GCSE Business
- GCSE Business
- Level 1 Business and ICT
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.
Level 1 Business and ICT – a course for students who do not want to do a full GCSE and may need extra support. Not running at present.
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?
- Does 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?
Next Steps from 6th Form: Direct entry into University degree courses, management training and variety of jobs in industry.