Business and Economics

Why study Business Studies and Economics?

Students will study the relationship between business activity and the changing environment within which it takes place, the structure, organisation and control of the main forms of business and business management in a competitive environment.

Business Studies is linked to Economics and vice versa, where topics overlap in some areas so they can therefore form a good course combination. Business Studies combines well with a range of social sciences, humanities and mathematics to lead to university subjects in such areas as business, economics, law and politics

Although it is important to stress that Business Studies GCSE is not essential for further study in Business Studies or a career in business it is an extremely useful foundation in the skills needed in the business world. Looking to the future you can start a career in business armed with an excellent knowledge of how businesses operate. In particular you will a have a head start in careers within accountancy, marketing and human resources.

We incorporate Catholic social teaching into our department especially in these areas:

THE DIGNITY OF WORK AND THE RIGHTS OF WORKERS

The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected—the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the organization and joining of unions, to private property, and to economic initiative. Within the Business and Economics courses we look at a number of topics that cover the dignity of work such as social enterprise, ethics and anti-discrimination laws.

CARE FOR GOD’S CREATION

We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation. Care for the earth is not just an Earth Day slogan, it is a requirement of our faith. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored. Within the Business and Economics courses we learn about the impact of environmental legislation on business practices, pollution credits and exploitation of resources such as land and rare materials.

Knowledge & Skills Gained

Key Stage 4 – OCR GCSE Business

By the end of KS4, students will be able to:

• Understand the purpose, structure, and operations of small and large businesses.
• Explain key concepts such as enterprise, marketing, human resources, operations, and finance.
• Apply business knowledge to realworld case studies and contemporary business issues.
• Interpret and analyse business information, including numerical and statistical data.
• Make reasoned business decisions and justify recommendations using structured arguments.

Curriculum Delivery & Sequencing

In Key Stage 4, students begin Year 10 with the foundational strands of business: the purpose of business, enterprise skills, entrepreneurs, the external environment, and basic finance such as costs and revenue. These core ideas provide the building blocks for later learning.

In Year 11, these areas are revisited at a higher level. Students apply more complex reasoning, tackle extended calculations, and engage with higherorder analytical and evaluative tasks. For example, the finance theme is introduced with simple cost/revenue concepts before advancing to cash flow, breakeven and financial decisionmaking once students have developed greater confidence and fluency. This staged approach ensures that more challenging content is taught when students are best placed to retain it—typically closer to their examinations when their wider knowledge base is more secure.

At Key Stage 5, both Cambridge Technical Business and Economics B build on GCSE learning with a more specialised and rigorous curriculum. Business students engage with vocational scenarios, business decisionmaking and reallife organisational practice, while Economics students develop analytical skills through market theory, data interpretation and applied economic models. Content is sequenced to progressively extend students’ ability to apply, critique and evaluate real business and economic situations.

Teaching Approaches

Our lessons are rooted in highquality teaching strategies that help students understand, retain and apply key ideas. These include:

• Modelling
  Teachers demonstrate expert thinking by modelling exam responses, calculations, planning frameworks (such as BLT, AJIM and the ThreeCourse Meal), and worked examples. This gives students a clear structure for their written and analytical work.
• Questioning
  Targeted questioning encourages deeper thinking, probes understanding, and supports students to articulate ideas with precision. It also allows teachers to address misconceptions early.
• Retrieval Practice
  Frequent retrieval activities—such as lowstakes quizzes, “do now” tasks, and interleaving of past content—ensure that knowledge is regularly revisited, strengthening longterm memory and exam readiness.
• Application to real contexts
  Case studies, current business news, and real organisational scenarios are embedded throughout every scheme of learning, helping students see the relevance and purpose of what they study.

Enrichment & Wider Opportunities

We enrich learning beyond the classroom to help students experience business in action.

•  A studentled school shop, created and run by our learners, provides a genuine entrepreneurial experience where students apply theory to real operational decisions.
•  At Key Stage 5, students complete independent learning tasks, wider reading, and research projects that strengthen their commercial awareness and curiosity about the world of business and economics.
•  Additional enrichment may include guest speakers, enterprise challenges, competitions, and engagement with current economic issues.

Measuring Success

Success in Business and Economics is measured through a combination of formative and summative assessment, retrieval methods, and reflection activities. These strategies allow us to continually evaluate what students know, how well they can apply it, and what support they need to move forward.

Assessment Strategies

Students complete a range of assessments throughout each year, including:

• AP1 and AP2 formal assessments
  Every year group sits two summative assessments made up of past papers or pastpaper questions. This ensures students are familiar with real exam structure and the demands of extended responses, calculations, data interpretation, and evaluative writing.
• DIRT (Dedicated Improvement and Reflection Time)
  After each assessment, students complete a selfassessment and reflection sheet to identify strengths, misconceptions and areas for improvement. This process helps them understand the requirements of exam literacy frameworks such as BLT, AJIM, and the ThreeCourse Meal, and shows them how these structures enhance more than just subject knowledge—they also build communication, reasoning and decisionmaking skills.
• Ongoing formative assessment
  Questioning, retrieval tasks, and examstyle practice activities are incorporated into everyday lessons to check understanding and inform future teaching.
• Educake homework
  Regular Educake tasks provide lowstakes, automatically marked retrieval practice. These quizzes track student performance over time, reinforce prior content, and strengthen longterm memory in manageable weekly chunks.

Evidence of Progress

Progress is visible in a number of ways:

• Students increasingly demonstrate secure use of exam frameworks, enabling them to structure wellreasoned answers with confidence.
• Written work shows improved ability to analyse data, apply business and economic theory, and evaluate decisions from multiple perspectives.
• Students’ ability to recall and connect prior learning grows through consistent retrieval practice and spiral curriculum sequencing.
• KS5 students produce highquality vocational or theoretical work that reflects professional standards—ranging from business proposals and financial analysis to extended economic essays.

Wider Outcomes & Student Destinations

Our curriculum supports a wide range of learners, including PP and SEND students, through differentiated pathways and careful attention to EHCP or support plans when planning assessment and teaching approaches.

Students leave our department with the knowledge, skills and confidence to pursue ambitious next steps. Many progress to university courses in Business, Economics, Finance, Accounting, Marketing or related fields—including highly competitive institutions. Others secure highquality apprenticeships or employment, entering sectors such as retail management, finance, logistics, and major national and international companies.

Curriculum Overview by Year Group and Term