The Department has an excellent learning environment, which includes the use of to classrooms which both have an interactive whiteboard and an area equipped with 24 computers, the department has a boardroom which is used for teaching small sixth form groups.

The department offers a wide range of vocational courses at Key Stage 4, which include:

• BTEC Business Studies (Certificate and Diploma)
• BTEC Travel and Tourism (Certificate and Diploma)
• BTEC Retail (Certificate and Diploma)

All the BTEC courses offered in the department are vocationally related qualifications. This means that the courses are designed to develop occupational skills. A BTEC Certificate is the equivalent to 2 GCSE's at grades A* - C and a BTEC Diploma is the equivalent to 4 GCSE's at grades A* - C. The assessments for these qualifications are based upon portfolio evidence no examinations have to be taken.

At Key Stage 5 we offer A Level Business Studies, AS/A2 Leisure Studies and AS/A2 Travel and Tourism.

The department has had success at both Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5, in 2006 88.5% of students entered for Business Studies in Year 11 gained a Pass or better, 90.9% of students entered for Leisure and Tourism gained a Pass or better. We also had 100% pass rate at Key Stage 5 in both Business and Travel & Tourism.

The department aims to provide students with a qualification, which prepares them to either go on to higher education, work in a variety of jobs in the business sector, or even start your own business.