Business Studies

Business Studies - Curriculum Statement of Intent

We aim to develop young entrepreneurs and responsible citizens with inquisitive minds, who are interested in current affairs. By the end of their journey, our students will be able to speak the business and economic language, acquire various soft skills such as teamwork, problem solving, written and verbal communication, ability to work independently, and be able to analyse complex economic, business and financial problems. Our enriched curriculum equips students with the appropriate knowledge and skills for their future employability or educational next step. 

Our ‘can-do’ approach creates a positive impact on our diverse school community, and gives learners the knowledge, understanding and skills to progress onto the next stage of their education, irrespective of their prior attainment, background or ethnicity. We provide a broad range of courses to cater for our students’ interests, aspirations and prior attainment: Business and VCERT Business & Enterprise at KS4; Finance, Economics, Applied General Business at KS5 Level 3, and BTEC Business at KS5 Level 2. Our courses give students the opportunity to have a deeper understanding of the concept of the real business world. Our curriculum will help shape students’ thinking and inspire them to enter and succeed in the world of business and beyond by equipping them with the needed financial, entrepreneurial and IT skills.  

Living in a fast-changing world, we believe it is very important to develop students’ high aspirations, resilience and independence, so that they can maximise the opportunities they are given to progress. Independent learning plays an integral part within the courses, as students have to plan, apply their knowledge and assess a number of different factors to make judgements about the business world. We support students with appropriate interventions to ensure all are making good progress.  

Finally, we provide students with a range of enrichment opportunities to help them expand their cultural capital, so that they become responsible citizens who can make a positive contribution to society. The curriculum is enriched with trips to businesses and institutions to bring learning to life in real-world environments; for example, Financial London trip, trip to London Institute of Banking and Finance, trip to Bank of England, etc. This is further enhanced by alumni entrepreneurs who come in and speak to our students to give them an understanding of the attributes required to be successful in the world of business and economics. We also encourage our students to participate in various business competitions and challenges, which gives them valuable experience of handling risk and making decisions in a dynamic business world. 

  
At Key Stage 4, you can read about the courses on offer in our Options Booklet

2023 Year 9 Options Booklet

At Key Stage 5, you can read about the courses on offer in our Sixth Form Prospectus

2023 Sixth Form Options Blocks

For more detailed information about the Business Studies curriculum, please email the subject leader Ms M Bhutta on m.bhutta@ecaterham.net