Business

This is a dynamic department with new initiatives in teaching and learning, outstanding opportunities for educational visits and the provision of a variety of enrichment activities to provide a positive learning environment in which our pupils thrive.

Business is a subject that gives students the opportunity to develop a wide range of transferable skills. Students will become skilled in making decisions, being creative, solving problems, understanding finance, analysing data and working as part of a team. They will not only gain business knowledge and understanding, but will enjoy the opportunity to put it into practice through a range of business activities and projects. Business gives pupils the opportunity to understand the world that we live in and to become more aware of global issues and events.

GCSE Business is a good choice for students who:

• Can communicate effectively and explain ideas
• Are creative thinkers and enjoy making decisions
• Like working with numbers to solve business problems
• Take an interest in the wider business world considering both national and international brands

GCSE Business

GCSE Business is a two-year course during which students will explore the issues faced by entrepreneurs in starting a business, right through to those faced by senior managers working in large corporations. In Year 10 we investigate small businesses and the issues those looking to start a business face.

Topics include:

• Enterprise and entrepreneurship – the dynamic nature of business in relation to how and why business ideas come about and an exploration of the impact of risk and reward on business activity and the role of entrepreneurship.
• Spotting a business opportunity – we review how new and small businesses identify opportunities through understanding customer needs and conducting market research as well as understanding their competition.
• Putting a business idea into practice – this topic focuses on making a business idea happen through identifying aims and objectives and concentrating on the financial aspects.
• Making the business effective – exploring a range of factors that impact on the success of the business, including location, the marketing mix and the business plan.
• Understanding external influences on business – introducing a range of factors, many of which are outside of the immediate control of the business, such as stakeholders, technology, legislation and the economy. Students will explore how businesses respond to these influences.

In Year 11 we explore the issues faced when growing a business, using local and national organisations as case studies.

Topics include:

• Growing the business – introducing methods of growth and how and why business aims and objectives change as businesses evolve. The impact of globalisation and the ethical and environmental questions facing businesses are explored.
• Making marketing decisions – we consider how each element of the marketing mix is managed and used to inform and make business decisions in a competitive marketplace.
• Making operational decisions – this topic focuses on meeting customer needs through the design, supply, quality and sales decisions a business makes.
• Making financial decisions – we look at the tools a business can use to support financial decision making, including ratio analysis and the use and limitation of a range of financial information.
• Making human resource decisions – growing a business means that decisions relating to organisational structure, recruitment, training and motivation need to be made to influence business activity. These aspects are considered in this final topic.

Co-curricular Activities

Our Business department has an extensive co-curricular offer.

Opportunities include:

• Enterprise Club – Year 7 pupils can compete in the ‘10X Challenge’, an annual competition run by Young Enterprise
• BiG Challenge – a Sheffield-based enterprise challenge for Year 9 pupils to experience the realities of establishing a new business
• Trips to local and national businesses including JCB, Jaguar Land Rover and Alton Towers
• Visiting business speakers from local and regional organisations
• Wings of Hope Achievement Award – a fund-raising challenge which aims to support schools for disadvantaged children in India and Malawi
• Young Financial Journalist – students must write an article on a given topic which could be published in The Times