The recent discussion around schools ditching some optional
subjects (for a minority of pupils) to focus on core subjects and looking at
the more extensive Oak National curriculum which still does not include Business
has got me thinking about the reputation of Business as a subject in education.
In the past 2 years teaching both Economics and Business, I
have been struck by how different each subject is regarded even though they
tend to be in the same department and taught by the same teachers. I think
business is often seen as ‘the easy option’ not only amongst pupils but also
amongst some in school leadership, with an idea that with vocational
qualifications in particular that anybody can pass.
There are several reasons for this, some valid and some I
think based on outdated stereotypes tinged with a little snobbery.
The specification is too easy
Last year 65% of pupils sitting the new Business GCSE’s got
a 4 or above, which is around the same as the percentage for all subjects.
However, this is more about the intended distribution curve than a subjective look
at the challenge of the subject and I do think the specifications for Business
at GCSE is too simplistic.
There is a lot of content to cover but there is a sense of
prioritising breadth over depth. My experience of the GCSE is with EdExcel and
there is much of this which is more about memorising a few lists of factors
with some nebulous chains of reasoning to explain their impact, the polar
opposite of a knowledge-rich curriculum.
For example, a pupil will come from English where they have
been analysing Macbeth into my classroom where we discuss 4 ways that a
business can give a good customer service in the ‘sales process.’ It’s
inevitable that pupils will make a judgement on the relative challenge of each
subject.
This isn’t to say that Business as a subject is simple.
There is much that could be discussed within the sales process that would be
challenging; the impact of customer segmentation and different expectations of
service, the balance between convenience and personalised service, how a lack understanding
of cultural expectations has impacted globalisation etc however this is not in
the specification.
We can (and I do) go beyond the spec as much as possible but
when we only have 2 years to pack in a lot of content there is limited scope to
do this. If we want business to be taken mor seriously, I think we should strip
back what we teach (including topics like different methods of production which
I’m not sure need to be taught in such detail in a services-dominated economy)
and focus on real depth, getting into the detail of what David Didau explains as the powerful knowledge which helps elucidates the fog around us to make
sense of the world.
Vocational Qualifications
The problem with vocational qualifications in Business is
that they are not actually vocational. A vocational qualification is supposed
to be a qualification that provides a pupil with the skills to work in a
particular industry but that isn’t what qualifications like the Business BTEC
National do.
How could they? What career even is business? As of March 2019, 27.36 million people worked in the private sector in the UK. All these
work in Business in the traditional sense of the word. For which of these roles
do vocational qualifications prepare pupils for? Rather the subject covers
general business management modules.
The problem with this is that if it does not prepare pupils
for a specific career then it ends up being seen as a dumbed down version of
the Business A-level which has an impact on pupils selection at 6th
form.
This might be unfair as some of the content is genuinely
challenging and useful but when there is a qualification without a clear
purpose then it is prone to this characterisation. I also do not think we help
ourselves as teachers by the way some teach it.
We all know the inconsistencies of coursework assessed
qualifications and from anecdotal experience, there appears to be inconsistent
practice across centres. I’ve always been adamant to have credibility in the
assessment process, adhere to BTEC guidelines and treat it as seriously as any
other qualification but that isn’t a uniform approach. When some teachers start
to ‘game’ the system then the credibility of the qualification plummets.
This is not just the fault of individual teachers but also
amongst the attitude of some in senior leadership. When there is an impression
that ‘anyone can pass a BTEC’ and so pupils who would not otherwise get into the
school’s 6th form college are granted access, providing a nice boost
to school finances on the understanding that they ‘must’ pass, it is
unsurprising that some teachers under pressure make poor choices.
These factors coupled together does undoubtedly create an
impression in pupils’ minds that vocational qualification is a second-rate
option. Fair or not, it is the perception amongst many pupils, teachers, employers,
and universities. It is tragic but unsurprising that many pupils use ‘BTEC’ as
a generic pejorative adjective.
Quality of Teaching
I have spoken before about the recruitment crisis in
business teachers, even more so than amongst general teachers. I know ITT
providers really struggle to draw student teachers away from the bright lights
of the city to a career in teaching. Interestingly, demand for the subject
remains high, partly due I suspect to the earning potential of pupils who go on
to study business-related degrees at university. This shortage of supply
inevitably means that the quality of teaching suffers as pupils are taught by
non-specialists.
Coupled with the fact that teachers tend to work in small
departments with limited scope for collaboration, it is unsurprising that some
of the teaching and resource creation are not as high quality as they ought to
be.
If the quality of the qualifications leaves much to be
desired, and then the teaching is done by non-specialists then the subject gets
caught in a vicious cycle where it is seen as being sub-standard, this is then
reflected in SLT view of the subject and which pupils should be allowed/
compelled to choose it and so the cycle continues.
What to do about it
There is much that OfQual could do about the qualifications
and greater collaboration between teachers to improve the quality of teaching.
At an individual teacher level, there are 3 things I think Business teachers can
do:
1.
Where possible, go beyond the spec and provide a
detailed in-depth look at key business concepts with detailed real-life news
articles and case studies. These are the key pieces of knowledge which explains
how capitalism works and how it influences all of us
2.
Treat vocational qualifications with integrity. The
best way to improve the perception of vocational qualifications is to improve pupils’
experiences of it. Pupils should not get ‘extra’ help with coursework or have computer
room lessons where they are completing undirected research. They need the same
intellectual rigour, feedback, and expectations of thinking that A-Level pupils
get.
3.
Challenge SLT with regards to 6th
form. Make it clear the challenges within the qualifications and the
expectations needed. It should be clear that if a school deems pupils unable to
pass a A-Level then they also should not be sitting the vocational business qualification.
Both are a Level 3 qualification so this should not be a controversial opinion.