Business
Subject Leader: Mrs M Moore
The Business Department at Coppice Performing Arts School gives students the opportunity to explore a vocational area that can form a building block towards a future career. Students are encouraged to be responsible for their own learning through the promotion of independent learning.
Learning Environment & Resources
All students have ICT access during Business Studies lessons enabling them to use a range of ICT packages including the Microsoft Office suite to produce assignments. Students are also able to access core text books and a range of DVD’s highlighting how real businesses deal with day to day issues. These resources allow students to understand the business contexts taught in their units.
Business Studies teachers are available to students who want extra support/tuition at lunch times and after school. Intervention takes place after school where students are encouraged to improve their grade potential by enhancing coursework content. All Business groups are of a mixed ability.
Key Stage 4
Students at Key Stage 4 have two business studies lessons each week. The following business option courses are available:
Edexcel GCSE Business Studies
Students study two themes during this course. There are two terminal examinations, both weighted equally at 50% each. The course is worth one GCSE grade 9-1.
During this course students investigate small businesses, looking at how businesses spot opportunities and put these ideas into practice. This leads on to examining bigger businesses and looking at marketing and financial decisions.
Throughout the course all content delivered is brought to life by putting it into context as students will explore real life businesses including Amazon, Nando’s, Go-Pro, KFC and many more.
The examination unit covers both themes, with a range of multiple choice, short answer and extended answer questions.
OCR Enterprise & Marketing
Students complete three mandatory units during this course. An externally assessed component accounts for 40% of the total grade, 60% is achieved through internal assessments.
This course is equivalent to 1 GCSE graded Pass, Merit, Distinction or Distinction*.
In this course students design their own product and learn how that product would actually get to market. They carry out market research and use these findings to design their product, and then work out the costings for their product. Students then go on to prepare a promotional plan and pitch for their product design. The examination unit covers marketing and finance with a range of multiple choice, short answer and extended answer questions.
Post 16
Post 16 students have two or four business studies lessons each week. The following courses are available:
BTEC Extended Certificate & Diploma
Students complete four units for the Extended Certificate course. The Extended Certificate compromises one external exam, one externally assessed coursework and two internally assessed coursework units. This course is equivalent to 1 A Level, graded Pass, Merit, Distinction or Distinction*.
Students complete eight units for the Diploma course. The Diploma compromises two external exam’s, two externally assessed coursework and four internally assessed coursework units. This course is equivalent to 2 A Level’s, graded Pass/Pass, Merit/Merit, Distinction/Distinction or Distinction*/Distinction*.
Students study a range of topics such as Exploring Business, Personal and Business Finance, Developing a Marketing Campaign and Recruitment & Selection.
Extra-curricular activity, trips, events, clubs, community links
Extra Curricular
Business students participate in Young Enterprise, where they develop a business idea and put this idea into practice. They are responsible for holding meetings, making business decisions, budgeting and planning all aspects of their business.
Students partake in a range of creative business activities to enhance their business knowledge further, such as designing and creating their own chocolate bar, developing a new cereal idea and developing a Christmas themed boardgame.
