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Here at Beaumont School, Economics and Business is seen as a vibrant and lively hub of activity, which is held in high regard throughout the school. The ethos is one of promoting intelligent and stimulating learning which excites, inspires and motivates students of all levels.
The main aim of the Economic and Business Department is to equip pupils with the skills and knowledge which will enhance their future roles as citizens, producers and consumers. These skills include the ability to:
- understand the basic workings of the economy,
- be able to understand and analyse business and economic behaviour, and
- be able to take a rational view on business and economic matters of the day.
At all stages the aim of the department is to ensure the students have ownership of their learning. This is achieved through pieces of coursework where the student has a choice of research and through case studies and whole group discussions. Students are expected to carry out both their own research and to draw upon their own experiences and observations.
The study of Economics and Business at any level should enhance students’ problem solving, analytical and decision-making skills. Students are encouraged to accept uncertainty and to appreciate the validity of different approaches to resolving complex issues.
Economics and Business are first available as an option in Year 10, leading to a GCSE in either Business and Economics, or Business Studies. In Years 12 & 13 further courses in Economics and Business are available within the BeauSandVer consortium. All these courses are extremely popular, with over 200 Beaumont students taking one of the range of courses between Years 10 and 13.
Students can choose to study:
- a GCSE combined course in Business and Economics. The two disciplines are tested individually, with elements integrated in each year. The benefits are that the intellectual and theoretical rigour of economics is applied to the practical nature of business thus allowing the application of theory to business, and access to the study of the practical use of economic
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- a GCSE in Business Studies alone. The topics are built up over the two years, taking the building blocks of business through from basic understanding to practical application. The benefits are that the intellectual and theoretical rigour of business is applied in a practical manner thus allowing effective application of theory in a real world environment.
Both courses takes an active investigation approach, which means that students will analyse many different case studies and answer detailed questions on them. Students will be expected to take a view on any findings they come up with and say what they think. During the course of their studies it will be likely that they will interview people involved in business and undertake significant primary and secondary research. Independence of learning will also be a key skills area that students will need to demonstrate in order to succeed.
For details of the GCSE syllabus for students who began their GCSE course in September 2008 click on these links:
GCSE Economics and Business 2008-2010 syllabus
GCSE Business Studies 2008-2010 syllabus
For details of the GCSE syllabus for students who begin their GCSE course in 2009 click on this link:
GCSE Economics and Business 2009-2011 syllabus
GCSE Business Studies 2009-2011 syllabus
You can also obtain details of the course and coursework deadlines etc from the relevant Year Course Booklet by clicking on these links:
Year 10 course booklet
Year 11 course booklet
Students can take their interest in Business and Economics further in Years 12 & 13 by taking one of the courses available within the BeauSandVer consortium. For details of all courses on offer at Key Stage 5 go to the BeauSandVer consortium website. In addition Beaumont also offers A level students the opportunity to take the Certificate of Financial Studies, which is accredited by the IFS School of Finance.
Assessment varies according to the course being followed but will include several of – on-screen tests, controlled assessment tasks, examinations (multiple choice, short and extended answers and date response questions) and extended essays. The links to each syllabus above give details of the assessment methods for each course.
The department is well resourced with textbooks, journals, other interactive resource materials as well as links to educational websites via the school intranet. The Business department blog is http://www.beaumontbusiness.blogspot.com/
Ms Z Beaumont |
Head of Economics and Business |
Mr P de Kort |
Economics Teacher (and Head of 6th Form) |
Mrs K Hannay |
Economics & Business / Financial Studies Teacher |
Mr A Goodwin |
Economics Teacher (and Assistant Headteacher) |
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