Skip to content ↓
Barclay Academy

Barclay Academy

Business Studies

Head of Department: Mr L. Gillion                                       

                                                                                  

 

Business studies is a subject that has great significance and relevance in each and every day of our lives. From personal finance to political agendas, from taxation to macroeconomics and the capitalist society in which we live; business is relevant to all.

Whilst studying business we explore the world around us and look at how and why businesses do the things they do: the factors which motivate them to take the actions they take and that impact on our daily lives.

Studying Business builds analytical and evaluative skills by utilising real world issues that are both current and relevant to our lives.

KS4

At Key Stage 4, Barclay students follow the

Edexcel GCSE Business 9-1 specification,

a comprehensive course which consists of two themes:

  • Investigating Small Business (Year 10) 
  • Building a Business (Year 11)

Year 10 students look at case studies and identify the skills which entrepreneurs need to increase their chances of success. Topics such as branding, market research and stakeholder analysis are studied to identify the shared traits of successful business owners. Students gain a holistic perspective of how a business might be ran to increase profit, to boost chances of survival, and to promote financial success. By the end of the year, students will have also considered wider themes of macroeconomics, alongside real-world areas such as taxation, inflation, the economic cycle and unemployment.

In Year 11, students move onto larger businesses, exploring how businesses grow and become market leaders. They will explore crucial and critical concepts such as marketing, human resource management, operations management, accounting and finance, with a practical view to giving them the skills to become successful entrepreneurs later on in life.

KS5

At A-Level, our students follow on, with the Edexcel A-Level course, which provides them with continuity, course coherence and the chance to build upon cumulative knowledge. The qualification consists of four themes studied over two years: marketing and people; managing business activities; business decisions and strategy; and global business. Students will explore wider themes of globalisation, finance, HR, decision-making, strategy, and the global market. Again, the skills gained throughout this course are an excellent base to continue on to university; 20-mark questions require superb analytical and evaluation skills requiring students to link several different sources information. The answers need to be written in a logical and flowing fashion which a key skill developed during this course and a key requirement of university study.

 

You have not allowed cookies and this content may contain cookies.

If you would like to view this content please