Enterprise

Welcome to the Enterprise Faculty curriculum area, which includes the subjects Computing, ICT,  Business Studies and Economics.

Curriculum Intent

The definition of the word ‘Enterprise’ is a project or undertaking, especially a bold or complex one and this encompasses the aim of the Enterprise Faculty curriculum at the de Ferrers Academy. The subjects within the Enterprise Faculty are designed to provide transferable skills allowing students a smooth transition from an educational environment to a work environment, by providing an insight into a vast array of Business, Economics, IT and Computer Science based subjects.

Across the de Ferrers academy students studying subjects within the Enterprise faculty will experience a sequenced curriculum that underpins the skills required for future learning and employment in Business, Economics, IT or Computer Science. Students will be encouraged to develop a strong understanding of the world, immersing them in their studies through application of all content learnt to current affairs and the external environment. All learners are given the same opportunities to engage with all subjects in our curriculum, allowing development of the knowledge and cultural capital that is vital for success in life.

All students follow the same curriculum regardless of prior attainment at key stage 2 and key stage 3, providing work that is both ambitious and demanding for all students. The curriculum across all Enterprise subjects is designed to be sequential, allowing students to build foundation knowledge that can then be applied and interleaved to a wide range of other concepts across the curriculum, a necessary skill across all of our qualifications. The curriculum is designed to give students the opportunity to build on their previous knowledge at each key stage, allowing further levels of progression as they move through the school from KS3 into KS4 and eventually to KS5.

As part of the curriculum we see the development of business and economics knowledge as a demanding yet necessary principle and therefore this is now a fundamental part of the curriculum right from KS3 upwards. The Enterprise faculty curriculum is designed to provide academic rigour across all qualifications, whilst giving students ample opportunities to develop key employability skills due to the insight provided into the world around us. Both the business and digital environments are rapidly changing concepts with a significant emphasis being put on the development of both ICT and digital skills in modern day society. Our curriculum is designed with this in mind to ensure that our students are equipped with the skills and knowledge for a wide range of careers within STEM and also within growth industries such as AI.

Our aim is to give students the necessary skills and knowledge to improve their mobility upon completion of their education, to give them the broadest possible opportunities to thrive and succeed.

In summary, across the Enterprise Faculty we aim to:

●  Deliver a curriculum that is rich in cultural capital such as economic knowledge, application of current affairs, development of key skills such as app development and overall how to be effective citizens

●  Give students opportunity to develop key employment skills necessary for the future including critical thinking, information & data analysis and evaluation, IT literacy such as spreadsheets and databases and the fundamentals of online safety

●  Provide the foundations of knowledge for future study or the workplace

●  Provide regular and rigorous assessments for students to demonstrate the full breadth of their knowledge and skills.

“To enable all our learners to be excellent in what they do, by providing a broad and balanced curriculum that is accessible and challenging for all”

Curriculum Implementation

The Enterprise curriculum is designed to give clear routes of progression for students to enable them to build on prior learning and knowledge, ensuring key concepts can be revisited and committed to long term memory. Key knowledge is transferred between each key stages, with clearly identified routes as shown below. Students are assessed at regular intervals to check for understanding and application of the knowledge learnt to a wide range of different contexts and scenarios. Knowledge organisers are used as the foundation point for all subjects across the Enterprise Faculty, with more difficult concepts introduced through other teaching and learning strategies, to allow students to develop their understanding.

At KS3, the curriculum provides opportunities for all students of all abilities to gain an insight into all subjects offered by the Enterprise faculty. This foundation feeds into student pathways for Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5, to build upon their learning from Key Stage 3 through a mastery curriculum across all Enterprise subject areas.