Business
Business is one of the world's most relevant and dynamic subjects, providing students with an understanding of how organisations operate whilst developing valuable transferable skills such as communication, leadership, problem-solving, financial awareness and decision-making.
At Invicta Grammar School, the Business journey begins in Year 7 through our unique BEE (Business, Enterprise & Economics) programme, introducing students to enterprise, entrepreneurship and economics from the very start of their secondary education. In Year 9, students complete a Business Foundation Year, learning the core concepts of GCSE Business whilst developing their own business ideas. The year culminates in our exciting Dragon's Den style pitch, where students present their ideas to a panel, building confidence, communication and presentation skills before progressing to GCSE.
Learning extends well beyond the classroom. We run a varied programme of educational visits, giving students the opportunity to experience business in action. Trips include Cadbury World, Alton Towers, California, Dubai and Toronto/New York, alongside guest speakers and business workshops. Our trips rotate regularly, ensuring students experience a wide range of industries and international business environments throughout their time at Invicta.
Reading around the subject is actively encouraged, helping students develop commercial awareness and understand how current affairs shape businesses and economies. By following reputable news sources and exploring books on entrepreneurship, leadership and global business, students gain a broader appreciation of the world around them and develop the curiosity and confidence to become the next generation of entrepreneurs, business leaders and innovators.
Key Stage 3 - BEE (Business, Economics and Enterprise)
BEE (Business, Enterprise & Economics) introduces students to the exciting world of business from the very beginning of their journey at Invicta Grammar School. Through engaging and practical lessons, students develop an understanding of how businesses operate, the importance of money and the economy, and the entrepreneurial mindset needed to identify opportunities and solve problems.
Students are encouraged to think creatively, work collaboratively and develop confidence through enterprise challenges, real-world business scenarios and team-based projects.
Topics Covered
- Enterprise and entrepreneurship
- Marketing
- Finance
- Human resources
- Operations
- Inflation
- Government Finances
- Inequality
- Economic Growth
- Unemployment
Timetable
Over a fortnightly timetable students receive:
2 hours of guided classroom learning
No formal homework is set; students are encouraged to engage with business news and current affairs outside the classroom.
Enrichment and Extra Curricular
To Read
- Kid Start-Up – Mark Cuban, Shaan Patel & Ian McCue
- How to Turn £100 into £1,000,000 – James McKenna, Jeannine Glista & Matt Fontaine
- You Are Awesome – Matthew Syed
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind – William Kamkwamba
- Websites
- BBC Newsround
- BBC Bitesize
- Young Enterprise
- Journals
- First News
- The Week Junior
To Watch
- Dragon's Den
- The Apprentice
- Inside the Factory
To Listen
- The Diary of a CEO
- TED Business
To Follow
- @BBCBusiness
- @Tutor2uBusiness
- @YoungEnterprise
Year 9 - Foundation Year
Year 9 will be a Foundation Year to explore the basics of the nature of business activity and the wider business world. This includes an understanding of why businesses exist and why the business world is a dynamic one. This principle understanding of Business is crucial in this year before students’ progress to understand the functional behaviours of businesses. Students will begin to understand how to apply knowledge to different scenarios and understand that how the business world operates will be very different for all businesses.
Topics Covered
- Business activity
- Influences on business
- Business operations
Timetable
Over a fortnightly timetable students receive:
- 5 hours of guided classroom learning
- 3 x 40 minutes of guided independent homework
Enrichment and Extra Curricular
To Read
- Elon Musk – Ashlee Vance
- There is no Planet B – Mike Berners-Lee
- The Ride of a Lifetime – Robert Iger
- The Google Story – David A Vise
- Grinding it Out The Making of McDonalds – Ray Kroc
Websites
- Newsround: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround
- Tutor2u: https://www.tutor2u.net/business
- GCSE Bitesize: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zpsvr82
Journals
- Real Business
- Wired
- Campaign
To Watch
- Panorama (BBC iPlayer)
- Despatches (4OD)
- Amazon – what they know about us (BBC iPlayer)
- How to save the high street (BBC iPlayer)
- Heathrow: Britain’s busiest airport (ITV Hub)
- Made in Britain (ITV Hub)
To Listen
- Business Wars
- Outside In
- The Disrupters
To Follow
Business Twitter
- Broadcast news
- @bbcbusiness
- @sky news
- Journals
- @TheEconomist
- @HarvardBiz
- Tech Giants
- @JeffBezos
- @tim_cook
- @BillGates
- Retail
- @the_brc
- Other
- @times2resources
- @tutor2uBusiness
- @business studies
- @bankofengland
Key Stage 4
When students commence their GCSE in Business, they will explore these key functional areas (operations, marketing, human resources and finance) and consider how these functions work all the while considering how different businesses do it on different scales. The core principle is not necessarily just understanding key Business models (such as the marketing mix or types of production methods) but being able to apply to contextualised situations that show the impact that different influential factors can have. For example how the rapid advancement in technology might impact on retailers vs. airlines.
Exam Board/Qualification: AQA - Business
- 2 papers at the end of Year 11
- Paper 1 assesses “Influences of operations and HRM on business activity” Business in the Real World; Influences on Business; Business Operations & Human Resources.
- Paper 2 assesses “Influences of marketing and finance on business activity” Business in the Real World; Influences on Business; Marketing; Finance.
- Each paper is worth 50% of the total GCSE marks
Topics Covered
Unit 1 – Business in the real world
Unit 2 – Influences on Business
Unit 3 – Business Operations
Unit 4 – Human Resources
Unit 5 – Marketing
Unit 6 – Finance
Timetable
Over a fortnightly timetable students receive:
- 5 hours of guided classroom learning
- 3 x 40 minutes of guided independent homework
Enrichment and Extra Curricular
To Read
- Elon Musk – Ashlee Vance
- There is no Planet B – Mike Berners-Lee
- The Ride of a Lifetime – Robert Iger
- The Google Story – David A Vise
- Grinding it Out The Making of McDonalds – Ray Kroc
Websites
- Newsround: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround
- Tutor2u: https://www.tutor2u.net/business
- GCSE Bitesize: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zpsvr82
Journals
- Real Business
- Wired
- Campaign
To Watch
- Panorama (BBC iPlayer)
- Despatches (4OD)
- Amazon – what they know about us (BBC iPlayer)
- How to save the high street (BBC iPlayer)
- Heathrow: Britain’s busiest airport (ITV Hub)
- Made in Britain (ITV Hub)
To Listen
- Business Wars
- Outside In
- The Disrupters
To Follow
Business Twitter
- Broadcast news
- @bbcbusiness
- @sky news
- Journals
- @TheEconomist
- @HarvardBiz
- Tech Giants
- @JeffBezos
- @tim_cook
- @BillGates
- Retail
- @the_brc
- Other
- @times2resources
- @tutor2uBusiness
- @business studies
- @bankofengland
Key Stage 5
Invicta students enjoy their GCSE Business journey and many progress their learning to A Level. This is also an opportunity for students that have not studied GCSE Business to take it as an option. As students step up their knowledge to A Level requirements, we begin to explore the wider business environment in more depth and focus more on the size and scale of businesses. More models and theorists are introduced to support and rationalise choices (such as Blake Mouton leadership styles and Greiner’s growth model) as well as greater emphasis on understanding the behaviour of firms and now industries. A Level Business gives students a technical understanding of the business world in clear context to real-world examples.
Exam board/Qualification: AQA - A Level Business
- 3 papers x 120 minutes at the end of Year 13 - each paper is 33.3% of qualification.
Topics Covered
Year 12
- What is business?
- Managers, leadership and decision making
- Decision making to improve marketing performance
- Decision making to improve operational performance
- Decision making to improve financial performance
- Decision making to improve human resource performance
Year 13
- Analysing the strategic position of a business
- Choosing strategic direction
- Strategic methods: how to pursue strategies
- Managing strategic change
Timetable
Over a fortnightly timetable students receive:
- 10 hours of guided classroom learning
- 10 hours of guided independent homework
Enrichment and Extra Curricular
To Read
- Elon Musk – Ashlee Vance
- There is no Planet B – Mike Berners-Lee
- The Ride of a Lifetime – Robert Iger
- The Lean Startup – Eric Ries
- The Google Story – David A Vise
- Ringtone – Yves Doz and Keeley Wilson
- Sam Walton: Made in America – Sam Walton
- Start with Why – Simon Sinek
- Grinding it Out The Making of McDonalds – Ray Kroc
Websites
- Newsround: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround
- Tutor2u: https://www.tutor2u.net/business
- GCSE Bitesize: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zpsvr82
Journals
- Real Business
- Wired
- The Economist
- Campaign
- The London Business Journal
To Watch
- Panorama (BBC iPlayer)
- Despatches (4OD)
- Amazon – what they know about us (BBC iPlayer)
- How to save the high street (BBC iPlayer)
- Heathrow: Britain’s busiest airport (ITV Hub)
- Made in Britain (ITV Hub)
- The Station: Trouble on the Tracks (ITV Hub)
To Listen
- Business Wars
- Outside In
- Business Daily
- The Bottom Line
- The Disrupters
To Follow
- Broadcast news
- @bbcbusiness
- @sky news
- Journals
- @TheEconomist
- @HarvardBiz
- Tech Giants
- @JeffBezos
- @tim_cook
- @BillGates
- Retail
- @the_brc
- Other
- @times2resources
- @tutor2uBusiness
- @business studies
- @bankofengland
Careers
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