Our Department

Our Westside Business Studies Department family is made up of Mrs E Yome (Head of Department), Ms A Chipol, Mr J Smith, Mr JC Diaz & Mr L Reyes subject teachers and all students of ours from years 10 to 13.

As a proactive and energetic Department team our main aim is to provide the best support to our students. In the classroom we have a variety of activities, ranging from worksheets, PowerPoints to group work or project based learning. All teaching resources used are made readily available to all students via Google Classroom - teachers use this medium to give students feedback on how to improve their work, and students can ask teachers questions they might not have been able to in class. Thus opening up the communication channels and giving students further independence and ownership of their studies.

In school

Inter-class competitions are used on occasions to boost students creativity and go beyond the curriculum. In the past we have had 'Create the firms Logo', 'New product development' & BizQuiz.

The Business Skills Booster Workshop is provided as extra support to normal lessons for year 11 students who are facing their GCSEs and need to develop their skills to boost their level of attainment. This is done during a lunchtime.

Our Business Club (coming soon) which will be run during a lunchtime, where students of any year group can talk about the subject and play business orientated games. They will also be given a project which will act as a team building exercise.

'Climb to Success'

We also aim to stimulate and motivate our students to reach their academic potential. For instance, Years 10 to 11 have their own reward system, 'Climb to Success', where students gain points throughout the year as merits for good performance and standard of work.

This is represented in the image to your left as an organisational chart just like a Business. The objective for students is to replace the teacher who is currently sitting at the top as CEO.

Outside of school

We also venture outside the classroom to give students a greater exposure to the Business world that they are studying. We arrange:

Exploratory activities that take students out of the classroom and help them gain more personal confidence and experiences. Last activity we did with the year 10s was a Business Survey, where students had developed the questionnaire and had to go to town and ask these questions. After findings were discussed to further their knowledge and grasp the concepts being taught.

School trips where students get to go to the business location and interact within that environment and make contact with those who work there. The year 12s last year went to Bassadone/Toyota, Eroski and Companies House. In the past, year 10s have visited Pizza Hut, Morrisons and Saccone & Speed.

Visitors to come to Westside and not only inform students about their business via presentation, but also allow for Q & A sessions. In the past we have had visitors from Hassans Line Group, Toy Box & Niche Creations.

Student Testimonies

"In my opinion business studies is a fun yet challenging subject, it helps you understand the meaning and purpose of businesses and the way in which they work. It is not an easy subject as we learn about a lot of case studies and there is a lot of detail to remember when learning new concepts; lots of new ideas are introduced. The classwork involves writing a lot of essay and long answer style questions, which can be tough at times. At the end of each chapter we sit a topic test, that again, include essay and long answer style questions. Although it is tough at times, it is a very fun subject to learn about and I am pleased that I chose it."

“GCSE business is a great option, it is not only good for if you want to go down the business route in the future, but for understanding how businesses work and just in general everyday life as you will likely come across having to deal with a business. GCSE business was by far my favourite option !”

"I think business is a great subject. Very interesting and helpful for the future if you are into things like starting up your own business or investing money into your business. You will get lots of time to complete the questions set out and the explanation is perfect, if you feel you dont understand anything talk to your teacher and they will reassure you and help you with whatever you need. You will not get a lot of homework as long a you complete the tasks set in class. Pick business its a great subject and I think you will enjoy it."

Page updated

Report abuse