Business and Economics

It’s an exciting time to study Business and Economics subjects at Sheffield Girls'. This is a dynamic department with new initiatives in teaching and learning, outstanding opportunities for educational visits and the provision of a variety of enrichment activities to provide your daughter with a positive learning environment in which she can thrive.  

Six reasons why you should study Business and Economics at Sheffield Girls'

1. Outstanding results where all students make excellent progress
2. They are the most relevant, real-life subjects available on the curriculum
3. Exciting new extra-curricular opportunities and educational visits in the UK and abroad are available
4. All teaching staff currently work as external examiners in senior positions for the courses you will study
5. We have a passionate, experienced and innovative department who make learning fun
6. Whatever your career path, Business and Economics are respected subjects by employers and universities

GCSE Business Studies and Economics

The Business and Economics Department is always looking to provide the best for our students and we offer the combined Business and Economics single GCSE qualification. This course allows students to study elements of both Business and Economics subjects and achieve a greater understanding of how businesses operate in this ever-changing economic climate.

The main benefit of this course is that it enables students to fully understand what both Business and Economics are all about, so they are able to make informed decisions about which subject they wish to continue with at A-level, where they can choose to specialise in either area.

GSCE Course Content Summary

Unit 1 - An Introduction to Small Business

This unit concentrates on the key issues and skills involved in enterprise. It provides a framework to consider the marketing, financial, human and operational issues involved in starting and running a small business.

Unit 2 - Investigating a Small Business

This unit is designed to equip you with the knowledge required to set up and operate your own small company - an essential life skill! The content includes introducing the principles of marketing, accounting, human resources and operations management.

Unit 5 - An Introduction to Economic Understanding

This unit introduces you to the respected social science of Economics. The focus is on national and international contemporary issues such as the Government’s spending and taxation decisions and crucially how businesses are affected by the changing economic climate such as the Eurozone crisis and emerging superpowers like China, India and Brazil.

Full details of the course content can be found on the Edexcel website.

Real Business Challenge

The GCSE Business and Economics course also includes the opportunity to take part in enterprise competitions which bring the classroom theory to life. Year 10 students take part in the Real Business Challenge run by Coca-Cola and consistently achieve success with this, reaching the regional finals last year. Students have also taken part in local enterprise competitions including the Connecting Communities project where they worked with the Cathedral Archer Project to devise classroom resources to raise awareness of homelessness in schools.

Educational visits are varied and include visits to Rolls Royce.

Business & Economics extra-curricular opportunities

Young Enterprise – with the aid of a business advisor, students have the opportunity to set up and run their own business. Being responsible for every aspect of starting and running a company, the team must work effectively as a unit to make as much profit as possible.

National Student Investor Competition – this is a fantastic enrichment activity where students are given the task of investing an imaginary £100,000 on the London Stock Exchange with the aim of maximising their portfolio value. This allows you to learn more about the stock market and the cut-and-thrust of City trading with a top prize of a trip to New York!

Departmental Magazine – students have the opportunity to contribute to the running of the Department's Business and Economics magazine in a variety of roles such as feature writer, editorial team, publishing etc.

The Department

All the staff in the Business and Economics department are experienced classroom practitioners and examiners for the examination boards of the specifications that are delivered to you in school.

Mr S Coote (Head of Department)

Mr Coote is an experienced Head of Department with a track record of delivering outstanding results in Business and Economics at Senior School GSCE and A-Level. A specialist in MicroEconomics and Finance, Mr Coote has several years' experience of working with businesses and delivering a wide range of enrichment activities, achieving success at a national level.

Mr C Spick

Mr Spick is an experienced teacher of Business and a specialist in the social science of Economics. In addition to his normal teaching role, Mr Spick is a current examiner and team leader for OCR A-level Economics. He has a background in retail and marketing and, prior to joining Sheffield High School for Girls in 2009, taught at Durham High School for Girls and at Tapton School in Sheffield. Mr Spick is currently Head of Year 12, responsible for monitoring the progress of students in this year group.