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Academic Accounting
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ACCOUNTING

‘Take care of pence and the pounds will take care of themselves’

– William Lowndes (1652-1724)

You can, of course, qualify as an Accountant without taking A-Level, but students who are not sure of their future careers, although they have an inkling that they want to do something in business or commerce, find that Accounting gives a practical perspective to their studies and enables them to get to taste the sharply realistic techniques of financial and management accounting which are the foundation upon which all businesses are run.

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How Accounting is taught at Hurtwood

ETHOS AND AIMS 

In addition to teaching the necessary knowledge and skills required for exam success, the Accounting department aims to prepare students for life beyond their A Levels, whether that be studying a finance-related degree at university, starting their own business, or working in a business consultancy role.

Personal knowledge and experience gained from working in the finance sector is shared with students, whilst a strong emphasis is placed on best practice when working as an accountant. 

Recent research has shown that 51% of FTSE 100 chief executives come from a financial background, whilst 30% of Fortune 500 CEOs worked in finance early in their careers.  This proves knowledge of finance is an integral component to success in business, regardless of culture or industry. 

After studying the subject for two years, not only do the vast majority of Hurtwood Accounting students gain places at highly prestigious universities, but they will also possess an enviable and in-demand skill-set that is highly transferrable to higher education or a career in finance.

A language
all of its own.

 

CURRICULUM

The Accounting department follows the AQA specification. 

Topics studied during the first year include: the role of the accountant in business, types of business organisation, double-entry bookkeeping, verification of accounting records, accounting concepts, preparation of financial statements of sole traders, limited company accounts, analysis and evaluation of financial information, budgeting, and marginal costing.

Topics studied during the second year include: standard costing and variance analysis, absorption and activity based costing, capital investment appraisal, incomplete records, partnership accounts, limited company accounts, ethical considerations in accounting, and the interpretation, analysis, and communication of accounting information.

 

 

EXTRA-CURRICULAR

Students are provided the opportunity to participate in the IFS student investor challenge.

Subject to availability, a select group of students is chosen to represent the school in the annual ICAEW BASE competition, where students assume the role of chartered accountants to work through a business finance scenario, analyse various courses of action, then present their recommendations to a panel of industry experts.  This is an excellent insight into the work and challenges faced by a chartered accountant, whilst also giving the students experience of analysing data, public speaking, and working as part of a team under pressure.

View our exam results Course Specification Suggested reading list