KS5
The department offers to different progression pathways at key stage 5: A Level Economics or A Level Applied Business.
Economics
From a £5 flight to Dublin to a penny off income tax, from a National Health Service that’s free at the point of use to the price of a can of beans – economic models help people understand why things are the way they are and why changes happen.
It’s about how money is made and lost, used and misused. From private funding for new schools and hospitals to the level of house prices in your Morpeth, the success of EasyJet to takeover bids for Newcastle United – economics has something to say about all of these.
But economics isn’t just about money and it isn’t just about the decisions made by governments or big business. It’s about making choices – choices between different uses of limited resources – and most of the resources we need to use in our lives are limited in some way or another.
Economics is a highly regarded subject by universities and professional bodies alike. Throughout key stage 5 the students will study a range of economic concepts that will help to prepare them for higher education. The results for this course have been excellent, with 100% of students achieving A-E grades in both 2008 and 2009.
Applied Business
This course is for students who have an interest in business, enjoy studying a subject that is relevant to their lives and experiences, want an active course and want to move onto a related career or higher education progression route. More than 2/3 of the course will be internally assessed through a programme of assignments set and marked by the teachers. One external examination takes place in year 12, with no external examinations in the final year. Students have the opportunity to write a business plan for a business of their choice and to organise an event of substantial size. In previous years we have raised over £10,000 for local charities.
