Business Studies

At King James our vision is to develop enterprising, employability, higher education and real world skills for tomorrow's leaders and to prepare students for the business environment.


The world of business is extremely relevant to all pupils. They will one day earn a living by being employed or owning their own business. The more a pupil understands about the world of work and the economy in which they will operate, the more successful they will be in their chosen field and life in general. The sole intention of the Business department at King James Academy is to deliver a curriculum that is interesting, relevant, and challenging.  It is a curriculum that enables all pupils to meet their aspirations.  There is a combination of practical, theoretical, individual and group learning in order to cater for a variety of learning styles.  As well as the knowledge needed to succeed, students will develop employability skills such as working with other people, being reliable and dependable, and a willingness to learn.

Our Curriculum

Business knowledge and skills starts in year 9 (KS3) to ensure students have a foundation understanding of the business world prior to options. If you wish to view these see the 'Computing' tab as this subject is integrated within the year 9 curriculum.  With the ever growing emphasis on schools preparing students for the world of work, Business Studies also equips students with the knowledge and skills necessary to have a broad understanding of how businesses work from different perspectives. Students will be introduced to the necessary research, communication and transferable skills they need in order to be tomorrow’s business leaders.


In KS4 Business Studies students will develop the necessary research, communication and transferable skills they need in order to be tomorrow’s business leaders. They are required to work independently and develop their communication skills by presenting to the class. This builds resilience and confidence in our students. Through the writing of coursework students develop their ICT skills which is transferable to other subjects across the school and beyond their time at King James.


Students will study three mandatory units:


R067 underpins the wider learning in this qualification. Students will develop essential knowledge and understanding of enterprise and marketing concepts, which can be applied to the other units within the qualification.


In R068 students will develop the skills to design a business proposal to meet a specific business challenge. They will identify a customer profile for a specific product, complete market research to generate product design ideas, and use financial calculations to propose a pricing strategy and determine the viability of their product proposal.


In R069, students will develop the skills to create a brand identity and promotional plan for their specific business product proposal developed in the second topic. They will develop pitching skills in order to pitch their business proposal to an external audience. Finally, they will review their pitching skills and business proposal using their learning, self-assessment and feedback gathered. The knowledge and skills developed by completing this topic will be transferable to further, related learning in areas such as enterprise, marketing or business.


To view the Business learning journey click here


To view the OCR CAMNAT Business & Enterprise course click here


Assessment in Business

At KS4 knowledge and skills will be assessed through external examination and internal non-examined assessment. The Cambridge National in Enterprise and Marketing will develop student’s applied knowledge and practical skills in enterprise and marketing.  A copy of examplar assessments for KS4 can be viewed at the OCR CAMNAT link above.  Business is introduced in Year 9, so pupils can gain an insight into the subject before selecting their choices within the KS4 pathways, see here.


We challenge all students, including our more able learners, by introducing them to demanding material and techniques; encouraging independence, creativity and enhancing their communication skills, consider their target audience and get to grips with budgeting and accounting as we try and unlock the potential to be a future entrepreneur or the next generation of business leaders.