Business – Wickersley School and Sports College

Curriculum

Business Studies

The Subject Way

Our subject has a ‘Subject Way’ at the heart of it. Our Subject Way is designed to help students become young subject specialists. The Subject Way has two main purposes:

Firstly, to teach students the vital skills they need to achieve their full potential and gain the very best grades they can. Secondly, to teach students how each subject relates to the wider world, incorporating the life skills they will learn.

It is our belief that knowing how what you learn links to the wider world brings a subject to life and therefore improves overall understanding and engagement.

Long Term Plans

YEAR 9
Half Term 1	Half Term 2	Half Term 3	Half Term 4	Half Term 5	Half Term 6
An introduction to business. Students explore how the subject is relevant to them in everyday life by looking at key concepts such as enterprise and entrepreneurship in their local area and on a global scale. They examine famous entrepreneurs both past and present, looking at the risks they took in order to achieve rewards.	An introduction to business. Students explore further relevant business topics such as the role of social media in business and life skills that later translate into business finance i.e. how to budget. Learning is conducted through a series of long term projects in groups where students take responsibility for their own progress and present their ideas in a professional manner to their peers on completion.	Enterprise and entrepreneurship. Learners delve into the world of an entrepreneur as their first sample of the GCSE curriculum. By the end of the term they able to answer questions such as ‘why individuals choose to become entrepreneurs?’ and ‘what factors drive the creation of new, innovative business ideas?’. Students gain an insight into the qualities and characteristics that are needed to be a successful entrepreneur.	Spotting a business opportunity. Students learn how to identify a business opportunity by spotting a gap in the market. They will explore the competitive environment, conducting market research and learn to use important tools such as a market map.	Putting a business idea into practice. Students explore financial aspects of the course and understand how to perform key calculations including fixed costs, variable costs, revenue and profit. They learn how to calculate break-even point using a formula and how to represent it on a graph.	Summer project for the Wickersley Family Fun Day. Students spend this term using their business knowledge to put together a Dragons Den style pitch for their business idea to feature at the Family Fun Day. They must put into practice their learning by conducting their own market research and calculating the costs and project profit margins for their own unique micro-enterprise idea.

YEAR 10
Half Term 1	Half Term 2	Half Term 3	Half Term 4	Half Term 5	Half Term 6
Putting a business idea into practice. Students develop an understanding of the importance of cash flow to new start-up businesses. Students will be able to complete a cash flow forecast for a business scenario and make suggestions for improving cash flow. They move on to learn about the various sources of finance available to small businesses.	Making the business effective. Students look at the concepts needed to realise their new businesses and keep them running effectively. They learn about writing and reviewing business plans, the four elements of the marketing mix (price, product, place and promotion) and the importance of choosing an appropriate location.	External influences on business. Students become aware of the factors outside the control of the business such as legislation, technology and the economy (exchange rates and interest rates). They will be able to suggest strategies for the business to react to or to predict changes in the business external environment.	Growing the business. Students are introduced to methods of growth and why and how business aims and objectives change as businesses evolve. The impacts of globalisation and international trade on both businesses and the consumer are explored, in addition to the ethical and environmental trade-offs against profit facing many businesses in today’s society.	Making marketing decisions. Students will explore how each element of the marketing mix is managed and used to inform and make business decisions in a competitive marketplace. They examine marketing models such as the product life cycle and the design mix as tools to improve a business’s competitive position within its market.	Making operational decisions. This topic focuses on meeting customer needs through the design, supply, quality and sales decisions a business makes. Students explore the importance of a business’s relationship with its supply chain stakeholders and how effective supply chain management can contribute to gaining and maintaining a competitive advantage.

YEAR 11
Half Term 1	Half Term 2	Half Term 3	Half Term 4	Half Term 5	Half Term 6
Making operational decisions. This topic focuses on meeting customer needs through the design, supply, quality and sales decisions a business makes. Students learn about a range of different quality assurance systems that are implemented in different businesses in product and service industries, they evaluate how these systems contribute to customer loyalty and business reputation.	Making financial decisions. Students will explore the tools a business has to support financial decision making, including ratio analysis and the use and limitation of a range of financial information. Students learn how to construct basic accounting documents such as the income statement.	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. Students learn about the different ways businesses can organise their workforce, and to ensure effective communication to improve motivation and productivity within the workforce.	Revision and exam skills.	Revision and exam skills.	Revision and exam skills.

Department Staff

N Lilleker

Director

C Alecock

D Ogley

E Ashton

Find out more

If you would like more information about our curriculum, please contact the school using the details on our contact page.

Our Subjects at KS4

CORE SUBJECTS

EBACC SUBJECTS

OPTION SUBJECTS