Curriculum
THE SKILLS TO SUCCEED 鈥� THE CONFIDENCE TO PROGRESS
According to the UK government, in 2022, there were 5.5 million private sector businesses in the UK than 3.5 million in the year 2000. Setting up a business is therefore one way of having a career and achieving success in life. At present many people are choosing to learn and develop business skills so that they can be entrepreneurial so as to make a contribution to society. The result of this has been an increase in the number of people self-employed as people develop the confidence, enthusiasm and skills to run businesses. Studying Business will help you to take the first step towards a career by blending technical and academic skills which are required by universities as well as employers.听听
Business studies or we can say finding entrepreneurship 鈥� Being an entrepreneur means having the ability to generate creative ideas, plan courses of action and take risks to run challenging projects.听
Business studies teaches you about how to manage finances while effectively marketing your goods and services as well as planning for your company鈥檚 next stage of growth. The sooner you learn all these skills, better will be the results.听
Curriculum Overview
GCSE Introduced in September 2024 for Year 10.
Vocational Pathway following through Year 11-13.
听
| 听 | Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 | Spring 1 | Spring 1 | Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 (GCSE) | Theme 1 Investigating small Business 1.1 Enterprise and entrepreneurship 1.2 Spotting a business opportunity | Theme 1 Investigating small Business 1.3 Putting a business idea into practice | Theme 1 Investigating small Business 1.4 Making the business effective | Theme 1 Investigating small Business 1.4 Making the business effective | Theme 1 Investigating small Business 1.5 Understanding external influences on businesses (cont.) Revision and practice assessment | Theme 1 Investigating small Business 2.1 Growing the business |
| 11 | 2.1 – Business Growth听听听听听听 | 2.2 – Making marketing decisions | 2.3 Making operational decisions | 2.4 Making financial decisions听 | 2.5 Making human resource decisions | 听 |
| 12 | Unit 1 鈥� Exploring Business | Unit 1 鈥� Exploring Business | Unit 2 鈥� Developing a marketing campaign | Unit 2 鈥� Developing a marketing campaign | Unit 2 鈥� Developing a marketing campaign | Unit 1 鈥� Exploring Business |
| 13 | Unit 3: Personal and Business Finance | Unit 3: Personal and Business Finance | Unit 3: Personal and Business Finance听 | Unit 14 鈥� Investigating Customer service | Unit 14 鈥� Investigating Customer service | Unit 14 鈥� Investigating Customer service |
KS4 COURSE
About the course
The Edexcel GCSE Business qualification provides an exciting introduction to the world of business and enterprise. The course helps students understand how businesses operate, make decisions and respond to changes in the marketplace. Students will develop essential skills such as problem-solving, communication, analysis, decision-making and evaluation, which are highly valued by employers and useful in everyday life.
Throughout the course, students will explore how businesses are started, managed and grown. They will investigate a wide range of real businesses, from small local enterprises to large multinational companies, and learn how successful organisations meet customer needs while achieving their objectives.
You will study key areas of business, including:
- Enterprise and entrepreneurship
- Spotting business opportunities
- Business planning
- Marketing and market research
- Finance and managing money
- Human resources and recruitment
- Business operations and production
- Growth and expansion strategies
- Influences on business decisions
- Globalisation and the wider business environment
The course encourages students to apply their knowledge to real-life business situations, analyse business issues and recommend appropriate solutions. Through case studies and current business examples, students will develop a strong understanding of how businesses contribute to the economy and society.
At the end of the course, students will sit two written examinations, assessing their ability to apply business concepts, analyse information and evaluate business decisions using evidence from real-world contexts
What can Business Studies lead to?
This is a nationally听recognised听vocational course that could lead to further education in Sixth Form in a vocational qualification at Level 3, such as a BTEC National in Business, which prepares learners to enter employment or apprenticeships, or to move on to higher education by听studying a degree in Business, example degrees are; Business Management, Business Enterprise Management,听Hospitality听Business Management and Financial Management. This could then result in employment within a wide range of areas including: retail businesses听representatives, marketing manager,听bank manager and store manager to name a few.听听
There are also a wide variety of apprenticeship opportunities available in the travel and tourism industry that can be an excellent way to start a career working for well-established organisations such as Jaguar land rover and Price Waterhouse Cooper.听
HOW WILL I BE ASSESSED?
Edexcel GCSE Business is assessed entirely through two written examinations, both taken at the end of Year 11. Throughout the course, students will develop their knowledge, understanding and application of key business concepts by studying real businesses and current business issues.
The assessments are designed to test students’ ability to apply business knowledge to real-world situations, analyse business information and make justified recommendations.
The examinations focus on:
- Developing knowledge and understanding of business concepts, terminology and objectives.
- Applying business theory to a range of real-life and unfamiliar business contexts.
- Analysing business data, information and case studies to identify business issues and opportunities.
- Evaluating business decisions and providing justified recommendations using evidence.
- Developing critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making skills.
Theme 1听听听
Written examination
1 hour 30 minutes
90 marks
50% of GCSE
Theme 2听听听
Written examination
1 hour 30 minutes
90 marks
50% of GCSE
WHAT SKILLS ARE REQUIRED?
The Business听qualification will provide learners with a wide range of transferable skills useful for any future career. To be able to complete the course learners will need to be able to;听
- Research different businesses, the reasons for starting businesses听and how to manage the day to day activities.听听
- Communication skills (verbal and written).听听
- Have an interest in听the world of business听and keep up to date with current听business news stories.听听
- Be able to work effectively听with peers to complete practical activities both in and out of the classroom.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
As听part of the business听qualification students need to collect evidence for the assignments which involves guest speakers visiting the academy and trips. This will allow students to conduct first hand research in order to produce high quality work.听听
Information听is听provided听well in advance for any trips听and support provided to students where necessary.
Student testimony
鈥淚 enjoy Business studies, because I have learnt a lot about how to start听up a business and why entrepreneurs and enterprises are successful. We had听a trip to a dessert shop called鈥疭weet Dreams where I was able to see how a successful micro business operates.鈥浓赌�听
Miss Newman
Miss Newman graduated from Loughborough University with a degree in Business and English and gained Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in 2021. She is passionate about enterprise education and creating opportunities for students to develop entrepreneurial skills through real-world experiences and school-based initiatives. Since joining 蘑菇tv in 2025, she has been committed to inspiring the next generation of business leaders and has served as Head of Business and Travel & Tourism since September 2026.