Business Studies is a subject which is taught from Year 10 onwards, however there are chances for younger students to be involved in various extra-curricular activities:
- Students from Years 7-9 can participate in ‘Enterprise Club’ where they split into groups to form a mini business. Students are encouraged to sell their products / services and look to reinvest the profits.
- Budding investors from Year 10 and above can also participate in the ‘Student Investor Challenge’, a competition involving teams investing a virtual £100,000 on the London Stock Exchange and managing a healthy portfolio. Students use a software platform that mirrors the real stock market to invest their money and track their daily progress.
- Sixth Form students have the opportunity to participate in the Young Enterprise Scheme where they are able to acquire invaluable employability skills.
- Students from Years 9 and 10 have also historically taken part in the Manchester Airport Community Network Dragon’s Den initiative which challenges students to set up a virtual business, design a product and create a plan to manufacture and market that item, before pitching their business idea to a panel of experts. In previous years, Bridgewater teams have raised over £500 from their gift companies for St. Ann’s Hospice.
GCSE Business Studies
At GCSE level, Business Studies is an exciting and fast-moving subject which explores different business contexts ranging from small enterprises to large multinationals and businesses operating in local, national and global contexts. Students take part in simulated business situations in order to give them the opportunity to put the theory into practice.
Bridgewater students follow the Pearson syllabus which has two 1 hour 45 minute examination papers at the end of Year 11.
Course content:
Theme 1: Investigating small business
- Enterprise and entrepreneurship
- Spotting a business opportunity
- Putting a business idea into practice
- Making the business effective
- External influences on business
Theme 2: Building a business
- Growing the business
- Making marketing decisions
- Making operational decisions
- Making financial decisions
- Making human resource decisions
Lessons incorporate business events in the news to explain the topic being taught. This enables the lessons to be kept lively and related to what is happening in the world.
