Business Studies
Intent and Rationale
Students at The Mandeville School are given the opportunity to study Business Studies at the beginning of KS4, as one of their GCSE option subjects. The Business curriculum aims to introduce students to the dynamic nature of the Business world through a diverse, ambitious and engaging two-year course, which embodies the school’s values of Believe – Achieve – Succeed.
Delivered by enthusiastic and passionate subject specialists, Business GCSE uniquely offers pupils the opportunity to apply school content to the real world. Analysis of real Businesses such as; Netflix, Greggs and Tesla, to name a few, help develop skills beyond the classroom equipping students with insight and knowledge of the real working world.
This combination of passionate teaching, real world application and engrossing content continues to make Business the most popular chosen GCSE option at The Mandeville School.
Following the Edexcel GCSE specification, the KS4 curriculum is split into two sections: Theme 1, studied in Year 10 and Theme 2, studied in Year 11. Throughout each Theme students are introduced to a range of Business concepts, theories and language which they learn to understand, apply and evaluate within the context of real Businesses. Pupils are assessed using two external Business GCSE exams, one for each Theme respectively, sat at the end of Year 11.
Theme 1 Content:
- Enterprise and entrepreneurship
- Spotting a Business opportunity
- Putting a Business idea into practice
- Making the Business effective
- Understanding external influences on Business
Theme 2 Content:
- Growing the Business
- Making marketing decisions
- Making operational and financial decisions
- Making human resource decisions
The above ambitious and broad content, which lends itself to real world experiences and examples, gives lessons significant diversity and a Unique Selling Point (Business terminology) differentiating itself from other GCSE courses. Lessons are engaging, fast-paced and packed full of discussions, debates and up-to-date Business news. This embellishment of the Edexcel specification gives pupils the chance to develop their analysis and evaluation skills, vital to their GCSE exams but also the first step in becoming an effective future leader.
In Business, pupils understand that success comes in all shapes and sizes, from all walks of life and is available to all with the ambition to pursue their next Business venture - again embodying the school values of Believe - Achieve - Succeed.
Beginning in Year 10, pupils are encouraged to be creative and entrepreneurial while navigating through course content, exam skills and real-life case studies. As they progress, pupils are equipped with the skills to apply their knowledge to a variety of examination techniques. From multiple-choice questions and financial calculations to essay questions based on real Businesses, enabling them to develop a broad skill set applicable to their exams and the wider world. This culminates in an extremely positive pupil cohort with ambition for success and the subsequent skillset to achieve.
As Business is the UK’s second most popular A-Level and degree subject, this GCSE course helps create foundational understanding applicable to both while simultaneously creating numerous post-16 opportunities. Yet, prior to this, some Business students are offered the opportunity to take part in the sought-after Cloudy IT project as part of year 10 work experience. Here, students get the invaluable prospect of designing their own app and presenting it to local entrepreneurs.
Business at The Mandeville school is about more than simply achievement in exams, but about fostering a passion for Business and entrepreneurship enabling students to be successful citizens in whatever field they choose.
