Professional Focus Paper
Course: Business Management
1.
Level: National 5
Who is this paper for and what is its purpose?
This paper is for teachers and other staff who provide learning, teaching and support as learners work towards
Business Management National 5.
Curriculum for Excellence is a unique opportunity to raise achievement and to ensure that all learners are better
prepared than they have been in the past for learning, life and work. This is because the new curriculum gives real
scope to build learning 3–18 in a joined-up, seamless way. As a result, progression in learning can be much
stronger with a clear focus on attributes and capabilities, skills (including higher-order thinking skills), and
knowledge and understanding. These are delivered through the experiences and outcomes of the 3–15 Broad
General Education (BGE) and, at the senior phase, through programmes that build directly on the BGE leading to
qualifications. Because of a strengthened focus on the nature and quality of learning experiences, self-motivation is
likely to be increased and learners consequently more engaged and enthused. To ensure continuity and
progression, qualifications at the senior phase have been designed to embrace this unambiguous focus on highquality learning.
Curriculum for Excellence has the flexibility to meet the needs of all learners in their local circumstances, enabling
each to achieve their very best. For example, some centres may take the opportunity to offer qualifications over two
years which might involve learners bypassing qualifications at a given level, whereas others may enable learners to
work towards qualifications within one year. In both cases, the advice in this paper is relevant to the learning and
teaching approaches that learners will encounter. This paper, then, is intended to stimulate professional reflection
and dialogue about learning. It highlights important features of learning which are enhanced or different from
previous arrangements at this SCQF level.
How will you plan for progression in learning and teaching, building on the Broad General Education?
2.
What’s new and what are the implications for learning and teaching?
Business Management National 5 consists of three Units.
 Understanding Business
 Management of People and Finance
 Management of Marketing and Operations
To achieve Business Management National 5, learners must a pass all of the Units and a Course assessment.
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
What are the key aspects of Business Management National 5?
The Business Management National 5 reflects Curriculum for Excellence values purposes and principles and gives
learners good opportunities to build further on the attributes and capabilities of the four capacities. It builds upon
the principles and practice papers and the relevant experiences and outcomes for the technologies and social
studies curriculum areas.
Programmes of learning will develop skills that will enable learners to think logically and be more flexible and
resourceful in their attitudes. A main feature is the development of enterprise and employability skills; these skills
will support learners in becoming more confident in their future education and in their future careers. Unit study can
be flexible, giving more time to meet learners’ needs, can have an increased focus on skills and applying learning
and allows greater opportunities for personalisation and choice. The skills, knowledge and understanding gained
are embedded in current business practice and theory.
Hierarchy of Units
Programmes of learning should be planned to encourage learners to aim for the highest level of achievement.
There is no direct hierarchy between Business National 4 and Business Management National 5 (course and Unit
titles) but there is a fallback arrangement in place between these two courses. A learner who achieves all of the
Units at Business Management National 5 but does not achieve the course assessment can still be awarded
Business National 4 as long as evidence can be produced of a pass in the Business National 4 Added Value Unit.
What are the key features of learning in Business Management National 5?
Active learning
Learners are expected to continue to experience active learning in the senior phase. It is essential that learners
have regular opportunities to engage and challenge their own thinking and to develop the higher-order thinking
skills required to do so. Learners should have the opportunity to develop skills such as problem solving, by testing
out their ideas, and logical and creative thinking skills through doing, exploring and taking initiatives.
Learners should take an active role in the learning process. Learning and teaching approaches should encourage
active, participative and experiential opportunities to allow learners to develop skills such as problem solving, by
testing out their ideas, and logical and creating thinking skills through doing, exploring and taking initiatives. For
example, by running their own small business, learners have the opportunity to apply their knowledge to a range of
real life business contexts. This might include investigating an organisation or running their own small business,
making use of real life business case studies.
How will you ensure active learning encourages self-motivation and resilience in your group of learners?
Learning independently
The greater focus on skills and applying learning gives much greater scope for learners to exercise personalisation
and choice. Learners, therefore, have the opportunity to experience a wider range of learning and teaching
approaches in different contexts that can better meet their needs and build on their experience and achievements
in the BGE. To enable independent thinking skills and learning, teachers will want to reduce focus on teacher-led
activities and place a greater emphasis on learners’ experiences within which choices are made, by the learner,
based on their expertise and skill level. For example, by investigating a range of business aspects such as market
research techniques and relating this to real life business contexts, learners are given opportunities to apply their
learning to familiar and unfamiliar situations. Business-related practical activities will allow learners to develop
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
creative thinking skills and make decisions about, for example, choosing the most appropriate source of finance to
help start up a new business venture.
How will you promote independent learning to ensure full impact?
Responsibility for learning
Learners should be expected to take responsibility for their own learning and to develop an awareness of
themselves as learners. Learning activities should be planned in consultation with learners. Practical activities
should encourage learners to take personal control of their own learning and give them opportunities to reflect on
and discuss their own progress. These kinds of approaches can be built routinely into all planned learning
experiences. Learners should be encouraged to monitor their own progress, set targets and make effective use of
feedback to improve. To ensure that learners are able to take full responsibility for their own learning, learning
intentions and success criteria will need to be explicit. Learning and teaching approaches will also be developed
which will promote the development of learners’ skills in self- and peer-assessment. For example, learners may be
asked to comment upon the work of others in their class against set criteria including aspects such as presentation
skills, accuracy of information, clarity, or if working in a group, gauging how well they performed in their specific role
within that group.
How will you ensure that all learners are making informed decisions based on where they are in their learning and
what they need to do to progress?
Collaborative learning
Learning and teaching approaches should encourage collaborative working which develops essential social and
interpersonal skills. In order to be successful, a group of learners would want to demonstrate how each member’s
particular area of skills and expertise could be best utilised to meet the needs of the group and the task. An
enterprising approach to learning activities will ensure that learners can be challenged appropriately across the four
contexts of learning. For example, group tasks such as enterprise activities that might involve running a small
business enterprise or working together to investigate a business, may offer suitable opportunities for learners to
work in partnership, take on responsibility and to learn from each other.
How are you developing skills for learning, life and work?
Applying learning and skills development
Learning experiences should ensure opportunities for all learners to develop higher-order thinking skills including
applying their knowledge in unfamiliar situations. A main feature of learning will be the development of enterprise
and employability skills through which learners will gain an understanding of the value of the skills to their future
careers, through relating knowledge, understanding and skills to real life business contexts. Learners should have
opportunities to tap into their natural inventiveness and their desire to create and work in practical ways. This might
be done, for example, when creating and developing a new product idea. Learners will also develop a range of
essential skills and attributes which will enable them to utilise the acquired skills, knowledge and understanding at
home, in the wider community and in their future careers. For example, by investigating the recruitment and
selection process of an organisation, learners will gain insights which will likely help them in their future careers.
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
3.
Qualification information
The SQA website provides you with the following documents:
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Assessment Overview
Course Specification
Unit Specification
Support Notes
Course Assessment Specification
Unit Assessment Support Packages
Full information on arrangements for this qualification is available at the SQA website:
Business Management National 5: http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/47436.html
4.
What other materials are available on the Education Scotland website which staff
could use?
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/nationalqualifications/subjects/businessmanagement.asp
Support materials have been produced over the last year to support Curriculum for Excellence and further support
materials and events are planned for this year. This downloadable list is updated quarterly with the most up-to-date
details available from the page below.
Published and planned support for Curriculum for Excellence:
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/publishedandplannedsupport
T +44 (0)141 282 5000 E enquiries@educationscotland.gov.uk W www.educationscotland.gov.uk
Education Scotland, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA
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