Computing and Business Studies

I particularly enjoy Business Studies as I receive great support from my teachers and there is no stress caused by exams as it is a coursework-based subject. The course provides fantastic opportunities for students and all the topics studied give an insight into the world of business. The subject opens up many career paths for students and this is one of the many reasons why I would highly recommend the Business Studies course.

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Melissa Evans
Business Studies BTEC student

Highcliffe benefits from a team of teachers with a wealth of relevant business and ICT experience and has outstanding facilities. There are five purpose built ICT suites which boast the latest computer equipment and industry standard software. The faculty subscribes to numerous websites and learning packages allowing students to study independently outside of school.

The world in which we live is dominated by businesses big and small. Businesses are dynamic organisations which reflect the values of society and the people working within them. A study of business will help you to gain an insight into both.

As the IT Industry is forecast to grow five times faster than the UK average there will be over half a million new IT professionals needed over the next five years. A teaching approach that combines programming and problem solving with extended projects leads to a challenging curriculum in which students not only master the subject knowledge but also develop a range of skills including resilience and independent learning.

A Level Business and Computing complement many other A Level choices and will enhance students’ opportunities at degree level and beyond. Student destinations include studying Computer Science at Cambridge University or gaining apprenticeship scholarships at Visa and JP Morgan. Another student recently achieved a First Class Honours degree from the University of York and is now studying for a PhD at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, America.

Studying Computer Science was a natural choice for me as my main interests have always been in computer-oriented and mathematical studies. I have found the course inspiring and have particularly enjoyed the practical programming exercises. I believe the skills I am acquiring as a result of this course will take me one step further to achieving my goals of attending University and building a successful career in IT.

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Harvey Ives
Computing student

Opportunities to extend and deepen learning

There is a wealth of extra-curricular opportunities for Computing and Business students at Highcliffe. The curriculum area has numerous contacts within the local business community and as a result there are trips to local businesses designed to consolidate student learning by experiencing first-hand what is taught in the classroom.

In addition to these trips we have guest speakers from local business and visiting lecturers from Bournemouth University who are able to engage students in areas of interest beyond the curriculum.

Sixth Form students are also given the opportunity to compete against students from other schools in the Team Enterprise Competition and Student Investor in which students manage their own share portfolio and track their investments.

Students from the curriculum area also have the opportunity to help in KS3 classes as student mentors. This enables students to develop the skills needed to manage a classroom environment, act as role models for students from across the school and develop their leadership and communication skills.

Subject Information

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Owned by: MML | Last Published: 16/08/2016 15:44:27 | Next Update: July 2017