Business and Economics
'An open and outward-reaching team who are positive, supportive and encouraging our pupils to be aspirational’.
Curriculum Aims
- Bringing our subject to life, teaching of and application to the real world
- Open door policy for Sixth Form pupils
- Open door policy for teachers
- Team-working and collaboration
- Outward-reaching to pupils, teachers and other schools
- Positive learning atmosphere
- Extra support offered at all times to all pupils
- Encouragement of staff and pupils to be their best
- Stretch and challenge as standard in lessons across all subjects in the department
- Soft skills – teamwork, leadership, communication, research
- Employability skills – as above + initiative, problem solving, presentation
- Enterprise skills – creativity, risk-taking, innovation, resiliency
- Knowledge and application together, range and depth
- Careers – as above + extra help, guidance, mentoring and range of careers given subject area
Curriculum Intent
Schemes of work
- Schemes of work – all to be completed and in a consistent format
- Schemes of work – adapted to match the needs of our pupils
- Making reference to specification
- Range of activities for assessment and interesting learning
- Building of up both skills and knowledge over time
- Model to be completed of KS4 and three strands for three different subjects at KS5
- Tweaking of SOW when teaching classes to improve
- Group activities which are not part of the syllabus for both KS4 & KS5
- Individual/pair research for independent learning not on specifications
Learning mapping
- Skills from KS3 pupils should have acquired, build from there in KS4, then split at KS5
- Skills from Year 8 numeracy, literacy, research, planning
- Model to be drawn with map through KS4 then three mapping strands for KS5
- Building of skills and knowledge from Year 9 to 10 to 11
- Scaffolding of exam structure over time
- Building and practising exam technique
- Year 8 activities day to give and introduction to Business
- Topics and adding over KS4 then 5 where applicable, then links across curriculum
- Developing links in subject and with others with depth
SEND/disadvantaged children
- Seating plans adaptation for disabled pupils
- Seating plans consideration for hearing/visual impairment
- Resources adapting, e.g. font size
- Parental communication for needs
- Communication to SEN lead staff
- Working with LSAs
- Revision guide provided for disadvantaged children
- Trips access for disadvantaged children
- Revision opportunities open for all
- Groupings consideration for SEN/disabled children
- One-to-ones offered across the department
Cultural capital
- Opportunities for our pupils – various
- Real life application to the world outside on a daily basis
- Teaching of diversity in lessons and regular reference to it
- Encouraging children to be citizens of the world, e.g. through globalisation/international trade
- Employment advice, especially for Sixth Form pupils on top of normal teaching
- UCAS help with university choices, references and personal statements
- Project management workshop for A-Level Business pupils run by professional
- Group activities throughout both key stages and all subjects
- Twyford Together project with local businesses
- Local businesses visit and coming to Piggott, e.g. chocolate, entrepreneurs, Interserve, Morgan Lovell
- Resources building cultural capital, e.g. videos
- Reference to local, national and international business/economy every day
- Curriculum has stimulating experiences, e.g. personal finance, working skills
- Reading encouragement and lists for wider learning
Curriculum area distinctions
- Teamwork – as a team of teachers and with our pupils
- Open door policy – for Sixth Formers and each other in department, as well as visitors, e.g. PGCE students
- Playing to our strengths, e.g. with timetabling and sharing expertise/tasks, swapping lessons
- Liking our pupils – having care and making the effort with children in the department
- Range of courses on offer, including mix and match
- Openness for pupils – accepting of so many and such a wide range of ability and backgrounds
- Aspirational – constantly encouraging pupils to achieve, e.g. target grade not being a barrier
- Pupils like working in the department, shown by growing numbers and those who stay to KS5
- Results at both GCSE and A-Level/BTEC have regularly been excellent
- One-to-ones with pupils, both scheduled and unscheduled make a big difference
- Revision sessions offered in the mornings and ad hoc to groups
- Examiners in the department – helps with CPD of each other, marking accuracy and teaching
- Consistency – all children get a good teacher with common high expectations in the department
- Calmness across all classrooms with a good atmosphere for learning
- All teachers have a knowledge of all courses in the department, help each other’s pupils
- Outward reaching to other schools, giving them advice, visits to and from
Assessment and feedback
- All teachers follow department marking policy
- Consistent marking and feedback across GCSE, both A-Level subjects and BTEC Level 3
- Personalised marking to each individual child
- Targeted feedback in short points to improve in certain areas/skills
- Peer assessment in use daily and training pupils to be good markers with marking grids
- MRI on all milestone assessments, mock exams, etc.
- Verbal feedback – as a whole class and individual
- Reading of examiner’s reports and using with classes
- Not taking too much time on meetings/admin tasks/marking
- Swapping of lessons/covering each other in department to help out
- Sharing of tasks, e.g. admin, SOW, reports, parents’ evening
- Buying of resources where appropriate to save teacher producing from scratch
- Collaboration between teachers and shared resources
Learning Journey
GCSE Business
A Level Business
A Level Economics
BTEC Business