Name of Head of Department

Mrs D McMahon, BBs, PGCE

Statement of Intent

The Business department at Devonport High School for Girls aims to develop young business students and knowledgeable entrepreneurs. We aim to deliver an engaging and inspiring 3 year course which will embed students with key skills and knowledge, making them ready for the world of work or to continue with their business pathway at KS5 studying A-level Business. The course at GCSE level aims for students to understand key business concepts, business terminology, business objectives, the integrated nature of business activity and the impact of business on individuals and wider society. The delivery of the specification gives students the opportunity to explore real life business issues and how businesses work, enabling them to utilise this knowledge in their next steps.

The specification for Business Studies is broad but covers these main functional areas: starting up and running small businesses, building a business, influences on business, business operations, human resources, marketing and finance. With a combination of teacher led delivery, independent research, teamwork, competition and presentation activities, we aim to complement the employability skills that they are developing in other subject areas as well as prepare students for the everyday world of working within or running an organisation.

The Business department aims to provide students with:

• the skills and confidence to explore how different business situations affect decision-making, taking into account a range of curriculum concepts. As a knowledge-based curriculum, the department believes that knowledge underpins and enables the application of skills; both are entwined;
• the ability to develop their understanding of concepts, objectives and terminology, and the impact of contemporary issues on business operations;
• learning experiences that are relevant, linked to varying career opportunities and promoting life-skills;
• equipping students with the appropriate knowledge and skills needed to develop their employability whilst identifying business problems and opportunities. We do this by quality first teaching, which ensures students understand underlying business theory that is then applied to a variety of familiar and unfamiliar case studies;
• acquired knowledge that then allows students to develop their analytical and critical thinking skills.

Extra-curricular activities

• Enterprise Days
• The National Enterprise Challenge
• Be the Future challenge