Business Curriculum
Empowering Future Leaders Through Excellence in Business Education
Why study Business?
What business develops
- Skills like decision-making, problem-solving and communication
- An understanding of how businesses work
- Financial awareness
- Enterprise and creativity
Student voice
“Business lessons help me to think differently about everyday things. It's like seeing the world with new eyes.” Year 10 Pupil
Key Stage 4 Business Cycle Overview
Cycle 1
Year 10 – Business Activity
Knowledge focus
Business Activity
Key skills
- Understand basic business concepts such as ownership, aims and objectives and business growth.
- Analyse business situations using real-world examples Problem-solving and decision-making for business scenarios.
- Making recommendations based on context.
- Communication skills through written responses and business explanations.
- Application of knowledge to context
Assessment
- Formative Assessment lesson by lesson.
- Summative: Two pieces of assessed homework.
- One assessed end of topic assessment.
Key Vocabulary
- Entrepreneur, stakeholder, enterprise.
- Liability
- Sole Trader
- Private Limited Company
- Organic growth
- Merger
- Takeover
Year 11 – Operations
Knowledge focus
- Operations
Key skills
- Understanding more complex business functions – operations management.
- Understand how products are produced and what affects production methods.
- Analysing efficiency and ways t improve productivity.
- Evaluating quality methods.
- Applying knowledge of supply chain and logistics to business scenarios.
- Improving extended writing skills for longer exam questions.
Assessment
- Formative Assessment lesson by lesson.
- Summative: Two pieces of assessed homework.
- One assessed end of topic assessment.
Key Vocabulary
- Operations
- Productivity
- Quality control/assurance.
- Supply chain
- Logistics
- Batch
- Flow
Cycle 2
Year 10 – Marketing
Knowledge focus
Marketing
Key skills
- Understand and use marketing terminology.
- Interpreting and using market data.
- Apply the marketing mix to real business scenarios.
- Analyse market decisions and their impact on sales and competitiveness.
- Evaluate promotional and pricing strategies with pros and cons.
- Develop creativity and problem-solving skills.
Assessment
- Formative Assessment lesson by lesson.
- Summative: Two pieces of assessed homework.
- One assessed end of topic assessment.
Key Vocabulary
- Market segmentation, marketing mix.
- Design mix
- Innovation
- Invention
- Distribution Channel
- Digital distribution
Year 11 – Finance
Knowledge focus
Finance
Key skills
- Using financial calculations such as revenue, costs and profit/loss.
- Interpret financial documents like cash flow forecasts.
- Analyse financial data to support decision making.
- Evaluate appropriate sources of finance.
- Improve numeracy and accuracy when working with figures.
Assessment
- Formative Assessment lesson by lesson.
- Summative: Two pieces of assessed homework.
- One assessed end of topic assessment.
Key Vocabulary
- Revenue
- Variable costs
- Profit
- Break-even
- Cash flow forecasts Sources of finance
- Investment appraisal
- Loans
Cycle 3
Year 10 – People [HR]
Knowledge focus
People HR
Key skills
- Understand recruitment, selection and training processes.
- Recognise different organisational structures and roles within a business.
- Analyse motivational strategies and how they affect productivity.
- Interpreting communication flows.
- Evaluate HR decisions for different business scenarios.
Assessment
- Formative Assessment lesson by lesson.
- Summative: Two pieces of assessed homework.
- One assessed end of topic assessment.
- Mock examination Paper 1
Key Vocabulary
- Recruitment
- Selection
- Motivation
- Organisational structure
- Hierarchy
- Chain of command
- Span of control
Year 11 – Influences on Business and the Interdependent Nature
Knowledge focus
Influences on business
Key skills
- Understand how economic factors affect businesses.
- Recognising legal, ethical and environmental issues and how firms respond.
- Analyse stakeholder impacts and conflicts when decisions are made.
- Interpreting how competition and market changes influence strategy.
- Evaluating business responses to external pressures and trends.
Assessment
- Formative Assessment lesson by lesson.
- Summative: Two pieces of assessed homework.
- One assessed end of topic assessment.
- Mock examination Paper 2
Key Vocabulary
- Ethics
- The Economy
- Inflation
- Interest Rates
- Pressure Groups
Key Stage 5 Business
Cycle 1
Year 12 – Meeting Customer Needs and The Market
Knowledge focus
Theme 1:
- -Meeting Customer Needs
- -The Market
Theme 2:
- -Raising Finance
- -Financial Planning
Key skills
- Communicate ideas using business terminology accurately.
- Interpret data from research, graphs and market information.
- Use elasticity calculations to analyse customer responses.
- Apply knowledge to real business contexts and case studies.
- Compare market types.
- Select suitable sources of finance.
- Judge the risks and costs of borrowing
- Use case studies to evaluate financial choices.
Assessment
- Formative assessment strategies used every lesson.
- Exam style practice- teacher/ student assessed.
- Formal assessment.
Key Vocabulary
- Market Segmentation
- Mass and Niche Markets
- USP
- Branding
- Added value
- Price Elasticity of Demand
- Income Elasticity of Demand
- Supply
- Equilibrium
- Cash-flow forecast
- Net cash flow
- Budget Variance
Year 13 – Strategy, Growth and Globalisation
Knowledge focus
Theme 3:
- -Business Objectives and Strategy
- -Business Growth
Theme 4:
- -Globalisation
- -Global markets and business expansion
Key skills
- Strategic decision-making and evaluation.
- Judging suitable business strategies for different scenarios.
- Compare methods of business growth.
- Analyse global trends and international data.
Assessment
- Formative assessment strategies used every lesson.
- Exam style practice- teacher/ student assessed.
- Formal assessment.
Key Vocabulary
- Corporate objectives
- PESTLE
- SWOT
- Corporate Strategy
- Strategic and tactical objectives
- Multi-national organisation
- Protectionism
- Quota
- Tariff
- Trading Bloc
Cycle 2
Year 12 – Marketing Mix and Strategy
Knowledge focus
Theme 1: Marketing mix and strategy
- -Managing People
Theme 2:
- -Managing Finance
- -Resource Management
Key skills
- Analyse marketing decisions using real business examples.
- Apply the 4P’s to design suitable marketing strategies.
- Evaluate strengths/weaknesses of promotional methods and pricing choices.
- Interpret product lifecycle data and suggest improvements.
- Communicate business ideas using strategic marketing reasoning.
- Interpret financial statements (income statement and balance sheets)
- Evaluate financial performance
- Link financial decisions to objectives
- Judge operational decisions to improve productivity
- Solving problems related to capacity, stock and resource use.
Assessment
- Formative assessment strategies used every lesson.
- Exam style practice- teacher/ student assessed.
- Formal assessment.
Key Vocabulary
- The Product Lifecycle
- Marketing Mix
- Design Mix
- Distribution Channel
- Price Skimming
- Price Penetration
- Above/Below the line.
- Gross and Net Profit Margin
- Internal and External Finance
Year 13 – Theme 2- Rural and Urban Risks
Knowledge focus
Theme 3:
- -Decision-making techniques
- -Influences on business decisions
Theme 4:
- -Global marketing
- -Global industries and companies
Key skills
- Interpreting and analysing numerical and qualitative data.
- Using decision-making tools to reach conclusions.
- Critical thinking around external and internal business pressures.
- Evaluate decisions based on legislation, ethics, culture and corporate objectives.
- Compare international marketing strategies.
- Assess when to use global vs local marketing approaches.
Assessment
- Formative assessment strategies used every lesson.
- Exam style practice- teacher/ student assessed.
- Formal assessment.
Key Vocabulary
- Decision Tree
- Expected Value
- Critical Path Analysis
- Float Time
- Qualitative and Quantitative Decision Making
- Corporate Culture
- Business Ethics
- Global Branding
- Foreign Direct Investment
- Outsourcing
Cycle 3
Year 12 – Managing People
Knowledge focus
Theme 1:
- -Managing People continued
- -Entrepreneur and leaders
Theme 2:
- -Resource Management continued.
- -External Influences.
Key skills
Assessment
- Formative assessment strategies used every lesson.
- Exam style practice- teacher/ student assessed.
- Formal assessment.
Key Vocabulary
- Enterprise
- Risk and Reward
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Stakeholders
- Shareholders
- Recruitment
- Selection
- Motivation
- Retention
- Job Enlargement
Year 13 – Competitiveness
Knowledge focus
Theme 3:
- -Assessing competitiveness
- -Managing Change
Theme 4:
- -Revision time for all themes.
Key skills
Assessment
- Formative assessment strategies used every lesson.
- Exam style practice- teacher/ student assessed.
- Formal assessment.
Key Vocabulary
- Labour Productivity
- Return on Equity
- Return on Capital Employed
- Current Ratio
- Acid Test Ratio
- Gearing
- Incremental Change
- Delayering
- Restructuring
For Key Stage 5 Curriculum information please click link here to our Sixth Form Curriculum