Intent
GCSE Business Studies
The new GCSE Business Studies specification will give students the opportunity to explore real business issues and how businesses work. A relevant and diverse specification student will consider the practical application of business concepts. The units provide opportunities to explore theories and concepts in the most relevant way, through the context of events in the business and economic world.
We have changed our exam board from September 2021. In the academic year 21/22, Year 10 will follow Edexcel and Year 11 will follow AQA.
From September 2021, Year 10 students will studiy and investigate small businesses exploring areas such as enterprise, how to make a business effective and the external influences that affect businesses.
Our current Year 11 students will study the interdependent nature of business operations, marketing and finance. They will build upon the previous knowledge of the purpose of business activity, the role of business enterprise and entrepreneurship and the dynamic nature of business and human resources.
BTEC Enterprise
Enterprise is an important part of the business sector and plays a major role in the UK’s global economic status. The role of entrepreneurs is to help create wealth for the nation and its citizens through the creation of enterprises that innovate and grow the economy. There are nearly 5 million such businesses in the UK, employing around 14.4 million people. In 2015, small- and medium-sized enterprises contributed £24bn to the UK economy.
Students studying Enterprise in the department will gain an insight into the world of enterprise. They will be able to make more informed decisions in life, and will gain the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values needed for the world of work. The qualification encourages the student to think about how enterprises start up and encourages them to think if they might consider setting up their own enterprise. During their time on the course students will learn through vocational contexts by studying the knowledge, behaviours and skills related to researching, planning, pitching and reviewing an enterprise idea. They will develop their technical skills (such as market research skills), planning, promotional and financial skills by using realistic work scenarios, and personal skills, (such as monitoring own performance, time management and problem solving).
Names of staff, roles & contact details
Mrs E Dawber
Subject Leader for Business and Computing
edr@baines.lancs.sch.uk
Mrs C Coulthard
Teacher of Business and Computer Science
cco@baines.lancs.sch.uk
Business Studies
| HT1 | HT2 | HT3 | HT4 | HT5 | HT6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 10 | Enterprise and Entrepreneurship | Spotting a business opportunity | Putting a business idea into practice | Making the business effective | Understanding external influences | Growing the business |
| Year 11 | Finance | Marketing | Marketing | Operations | Revision |
Enterprise
| HT1 | HT2 | HT3 | HT4 | HT5 | HT6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 10 | C1 - Learning Aim A: examine the characteristics of enterprise | C1 - Learning Aim B: Explore how market research helps enterprises meet customer needs and understand competitor behaviour | C1 - Learning Aim B: Explore how market research helps enterprises meet customer needs and understand competitor behaviour | C1- Learning Aim C: Investigate he factors that contribute to the success of an enterprise | C3 - Learning Aim A: Promotion | C3 - Learning Aim C: Financial Planning and Forecasting |
| - What is an enterprise? - Types and characteristics of small and medium enterprises - The purpose of enterprise - Entrpreneurs | - Customers needs - Using market research to understand customer needs - Understanding competitors | - Customers needs - Using market research to understand customer needs - Understanding competitors | - Internal / External factors - Situational analysis - Measuring success of SME | - Promotional mix - Targeting and segmenting the market - Factors influencing the choice of promotional methods | - Break-even analysis and break-even point - Sources of business finance |
|
| Component 1A | Component 1A and 1B | Component 1C | Component 1C | Exam | Exam | |
| Year 11 | C3 - Learning Aim B: Financial Records | C2 - Learning Aim A: Explore the ideas and plan for micro-enterprise activity | C2 - Learning Aim B: Pitch a micro-enterprise activity Revision and prep for exam | C2 - Learning Aim C: Review own pitch for a micro-enterprise activity | Revision and prep for exam (resit) | |
| - Financial documents - Payment methods - Sources of revenue and costs - Terminology in financial records - Profitability and liquidity - Using cash flow data - Financial forecasting -Suggesting improvements to flow problems | - Generate ideas for a micro-business activity - Plan for a micro-business activity | - Presenting a business pitch | - Using feedback and review to identify possible | - LA A: Promotion - LA B: Financial records - LA C: Financial planning and forecasting | ||
| Exam | Component 2A | Component 2B Exam | Component 2C | Exam |
Some of the content and/or sequencing in schemes of learning during the academic year 20/21 and academic year 21/22, may differ due to the extended periods of remote learning and other Covid-related disruptions to regular learning.
How and when is my child assessed?
Year 10
Component 3: Promotion and Finance for Enterprise: Students will explore the different promotional methods used by enterprises and the factors that influence how enterprises identify and target their market. They will explore financial documents and how to use them to monitor and improve the performance of an enterprise in order to make decisions and recommend strategies for the success of an enterprise. This unit is assessed by an external examination.
Component 1: Exploring Enterprises: This component will give students an understanding of the factors that contribute to a successful enterprise. Students will examine different enterprises to develop their knowledge and understanding of the characteristics of enterprises and the skills needed by entrepreneurs. Students will have the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of the different types of enterprise and their ownership looking at the characteristics of small and medium Enterprises (SMEs). This unit is assessed by a coursework assignment.
Year 11
Component 2: Planning for and Running an Enterprise: Students will select an enterprise idea to plan and pitch for. They will work as a small group to run a micro-enterprise activity, and will develop their skills in operating and reviewing the success of the enterprise. This unit is assessed by a coursework assignment.
| Name of course(s) offered | Exam Board | Link to Spec | Nature of assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| BTEC Tech Award Enterprise | Pearson | https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/btec-tech-awards/enterprise.html | Explore: Exploring Enterprise - internally assessed assignments 30% of total course |
| Develop: Planning for and Pitching an Enterprise Activity - internally assessed assignments 30% of total course | |||
| Apply: Promotion and Finance for Enterprise - externally assessed task 40% of total course |
Teaching Strategies
In GCSE Business and Enterprise, we learn through looking at real life businesses. In business we look at small case studies to apply our knowledge and in Enterprise we explore a small number of businesses in depth.
Students will be set homework each week. A range of homework types will be set including: quick quizzes to check understanding, end of topic revision using online resources such as GCSE Pod or Seneca Learning, preparation of revision notes and practice exam questions.
In GCSE Business we use Seneca Learning as our main online platform for revision. We use Google Classroom for both GCSE Business and Enterprise to provide students with everything they need to succeed. We signpost students to online resources such as GCSE Pod and GCSE Bitesize.
On Thursdays after school, the department run a catch-up clinic and revision sessions for students to attend. the GCSE students focus is on examination technique and students studying vocational subjects can attend to catch up on work.
Resources
Business Studies
There are two books for this course:
Edexcel GCSE 9-1 Business, Second Edition Student Book (Hodder Education)
Links to the books are provided but cheaper deals may be found elsewhere.
It is always good for the students to have an interest in business outside the classroom and they can look at the BBC Business news as well as the BBC Bitesize revision website. There are also various other websites that can be used including:
BTEC Enterprise