Business Education
Aims of Business Education
The Business Education Department at Coppice Performing Arts School is staffed by five specialist business teachers. The department offers students the opportunity to explore a vocational area they may consider as a future career through a variety of resources. Students are encouraged to be responsible for their own learning through promotion of independent learning.
Learning Environment and Resources
All students studying Business Education at Coppice Performing Arts School have ICT access during lessons where they use a variety of different ICT packages from Microsoft Power Point to Excel to produce assignments. Students also have access to core text books as well as a number of DVD’s which highlight how real businesses deal with the day to day issues in a business. This also allows students to understand the business context that is being taught in their units.
Key Stage 4
BTEC First Certificate
Students complete six units of work, three in year 10 and three in Year 11. The course is a 100% coursework, therefore the assignments are assessed on a regular basis so students know what grades they are achieving and are given feedback to try and help them to exceed their target grade. This course is equivalent to 4 GCSE’s.
BTEC First Diploma.
Students complete three units of work over two years. . The course is a 100% coursework, therefore the assignments are assessed on a regular basis so students know what grades they are achieving and are given feedback to try and help them to exceed their target grade. This course is equivalent to 2 GCSE’s.
Post 16
BTEC National Award
Students complete six units of work, three in year 12 and three in year 13. The course is a 100% coursework, therefore the assignments are assessed on a regular basis so students know what grades they are achieving and are given feedback to try and help them to exceed their target grade. This course is equivalent to 1 A-level.
Applied Business
This course is offered at one of our collaboration schools. This course is assessed through external examinations and portfolio work.
Current curriculum/schemes of work
Students at Key Stage 4 and Post 16 have six business studies lessons a week. These lessons are usually in two triple blocks. Students explore a number of different aspects of business from finance, marketing, human resources and external influences.
Awards, qualifications, assessment for learning, coursework
All students are monitored and assessed throughout the year as all the BTEC courses are 100% coursework.
Key Stage 4
BTEC First Certificate or Diploma
A PASS is equivalent to grade C
A MERIT is equivalent to grade B
A Distinction is equivalent to grade A
A Distinction* is equivalent to grade A*
Key Stage 5
BTEC National
A PASS is equivalent to an E and 40 UCAS points
A MERIT is equivalent to a C and 80 UCAS points
A DISTINCTION is equivalent to an A 120 UCAS points
Applied Business (AS level)
Unit 1 Investigating Business (portfolio)
Unit 2 People in Business (portfolio)
Unit 3 Financial planning & monitoring (external examination)
All business groups are of a mixed ability. At Key Stage 4 the average class size is about 20 students. At Key Stage 5 the average class size is 15.
Additional provision
All the business studies teachers are available to students who want extra tuition at lunch time and after school. Any student who feels like they may want to do extra coursework and exceed their target grades they can go to coursework clinic after school.
Extra curricular activity, trips, events, clubs, community links
At Key Stage 4 the department has run the Young Enterprise Scheme which allows students to set up and run their own business. We have also had a number of enterprise events for students encouraging entrepreneurship, teamwork and leadership. At Post 16 students have the opportunity to visit New York and explore the financial districts as well as looking at the strong economy in the USA. We also have a very successful link with Wolverhampton University.
As BTEC is a vocational course a number of our business scenarios are linked to performing arts businesses. We also encourage students to participate in a number of role plays and in particular the Human Resources units.
Links to Literacy, Numeracy, ICT
Literacy – Report writing, letter writing
Numeracy – Cash–flow forecasts, break-even, balance sheets, ratio’s
ICT – packages to produce reports, financial reports graphs
Useful web sites:
Click here for more information on the exams taken at Coppice.
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