Business and Enterprise

In KS3 (Years 7 and 8) students are given the opportunity to develop their enterprise skills and entrepreneurial acumen through an exciting and engaging curriculum. Each topic is introduced through a driving question or big picture and allows the students to gain knowledge and understanding that will prepare them for KS4.

The curriculum has been developed to support student’s achievement across a range of qualifications at KS4 and encompasses the key skills and content that all student’s need to be able to do and know confidently. The curriculum supports students in the following key areas:

*Using sources of information

*Demonstrating knowledge of business

*Cause and effect

*Communication and presentation

*Presenting using ICT

Throughout the key stage students are given the opportunity to develop these skills through different topics and projects. During each project every student will be able to work towards their individual flight path towards their KS4 achievement.

In year 9 the majority of students access a preparatory curriculum covering many topics that are included in the GCSE/BTEC Business curriculum. Students in Eclipse are studying BTEC Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, a specialist qualification developed by the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy. Our students are the first students in the country to study this qualification pre 16. Each student learns about how to set up their own business and will complete the qualification by pitching their own business idea. Students are able to then progress on to the Level 3 qualification at our Post 16 Enterprise Centre.

In years 10/11 students study a range of business qualifications that are personalised to their pathways process. Qualifications offered are:

*AQA GCSE Business and Communication Systems

*BTEC Understanding Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Level 2

*BTEC Business Level 2

Students are encouraged to use the enterprise skills shown below across all lessons:

 

The Business and Enterprise Faculty offer a range of enrichment activities for all students.

Enterprise Challenges – students are able to further develop their enterprise skills by taking part in a range of local and national enterprise challenges across the year such as the Premier League Enterprise Challenge. In the 2013/14 challenge Freebrough were chosen as local winners by Middlesbrough Football Club, one of three regional winners at Sunderland Football Club and competed against 5 teams from around the country at the Department of Business and Enterprise, Westminster. See our news stories for more information on the challenge and our success.

Business Technologies Club – students are able to combine their ICT and business skills in this new club.

The B&E faculty also offer a range of enrichment activities that develop students personal, learning and thinking skills and social skills such as knitting club.

In year 7 students are given the opportunity to develop their personal, learning and thinking skills through the PBL curriculum. Each half term the students work on a creative and engaging project, aiming to answer a driving question. Each project is focused on developed a specific skills which we call TRICS. The TRICS are:

*Team learning

*Creative learning

*Reflective learning

*Independent learning