Carol Service, St Mary's Church (pupils may leave after the Service)
At King’s we offer a variety of courses that offer an insight in to the world of business, enterprise and economics including A Level and BTEC qualifications. All courses offer the opportunity to visit well known businesses and economic institutions and the school also welcomes guest speakers from the world of industry on a regular basis. Courses are delivered by experienced members of staff who are passionate about developing pupils’ interests in the often-diverse fields of Business and Economics. They have had successful business careers, and in addition, have many years of teaching experience.
It is a fact that Business & Economics graduates are in high demand worldwide and survey after survey quote the same pupils as amongst the highest paid graduates after five years of employment. However, it is not all about salary and it should also be noted that there are many business and economic topics studied that focus on the ethics of business and government decision making such as sustainability and equality.
Popular areas of employment for business pupils and graduates include business management, retail, human resources, civil service, IT, hospitality, finance, marketing, PR and sales. Careers in consulting are another option. Economics pupils and graduates will find that they have many options when it comes to choosing a career. Many pursue positions in sectors where their degree is directly relevant, such as Finance, Banking, Management Consultancy and the Public Sector. Some positions may require further training, such as Accountancy, but Economics graduates have a good base from which to approach these studies.
A Level business pupils study the AQA Business syllabus and in Economics, pupils study Edexcel Economics Business Enterprise pupils follow the BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship.
Pupils enrolled on this course will study business in a variety of contexts (e.g. large/small, UK focused/ global, service/manufacturing) and consider:
The Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in Economics is structured into four themes and consists of three externally examined papers, sat at the end of year two. Pupils build knowledge and understanding of core economic models and concepts in Themes 1 and 2, and then build on this and apply their knowledge to more complex concepts and models in Themes 3 and 4. Pupils will need to apply their knowledge and understanding to both familiar and unfamiliar contexts in the assessments and demonstrate an awareness of current economic events and policies. There is much economic modelling which necessitates sound GCSE maths skills. Pupils should also have a keen interest in current affairs and will be expected to keep on top of domestic and international business and economics news.
The four main themes of study are listed below, please download the specification for more detail on the topics studied within each theme.
Our BTEC qualification offers a one or two year programme and a more practical course that focuses on small business and entrepreneurs. Pupils should note that there is one external examination in each year of study and one piece of coursework which is internally assessed in each year.
The course involves four areas of study:
Year One
Year Two