The Business School

Overview

The Business School is a live business simulation for students working in teams as rival firms in a shared market. It is best suited to teachers who want a one-lesson, browser-based exercise that makes business decisions interactive without requiring student accounts. Its value is in the instructor’s control of the session and the class reporting, rather than self-paced or individual learning.

Key features

Teams decide how to handle prices, hiring, loans, VAT, crises and deals, with the effects of those decisions appearing in the simulation. That makes it a useful way to explore how business choices interact, but it is a structured classroom activity, not a general-purpose business course. Sessions support 6 to 32 students across up to eight firms of three or four, so it suits a class-sized group and is not designed for larger sessions.

Teachers can pause or resume phases, trigger a crisis, monitor firm activity and project a live leaderboard. These controls give an instructor meaningful ways to manage the pace and introduce a challenge at a chosen moment. Students can download private reports, while teachers receive a curriculum-mapped class report by email within 48 hours. Knowledge Check questions cover 23 business courses, including AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, WJEC, Cambridge, BTEC and IB, making the simulation relevant to a broad range of course contexts.

Students join in a browser with a six-digit PIN and a team label or first name, without student accounts or email addresses. That reduces the setup burden for a lesson. Session data is stored server-side in an EU database in Frankfurt. The company says it does not sell data or use it for advertising, and teachers can end session data at any time. TBS Education Ltd Oy states that it is registered with the UK Information Commissioner's Office under registration ZC133810. Support is answered within 24 hours by a person who knows the material.

Pricing

The free Teacher demo costs nothing, is billed Free and requires no credit card. It provides a six-step demo, but has No PIN and no licence, so it is for evaluating the flow rather than running a licensed classroom session.

The School licence has custom pricing, billed as one annual fee with a quote after the pilot. It includes unlimited sessions and classes, supports up to 32 students per session and is priced per school, never per seat. That structure may suit schools planning repeated class use, but schools need a quote to assess its cost.

The MAT licence also has custom pricing, quoted after the pilot. It uses one agreement across trust schools and provides a single point of contact, which is the relevant option for a multi-academy trust rather than an individual school. The Autumn 2026 pilot cohort is full at 30 of 30 schools, with a waitlist open, so even a suitable plan may not translate into immediate access.

Platforms

The Business School runs in a web browser. Students can join without accounts, and teachers can download CSV class data. No third-party product integrations are named, so schools looking for a specific connected classroom system should not assume one is supported.

Who it's for

This is a strong fit for business teachers running a class activity for 6 to 32 learners, especially where team competition, instructor intervention and curriculum-linked reporting matter. It is less suitable for independent learners, classes above the 32-student limit, or schools that need a confirmed licence and immediate availability.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Connected team decisions make prices, hiring, finance and disruption part of one shared market exercise.
• Teacher controls and a live leaderboard help instructors shape the session rather than simply observe it.
• Private student reports and a curriculum-mapped teacher report support reflection after play.
• Browser access with a PIN avoids the need to create student accounts or collect email addresses.

Cons

• Sessions cap at 32 students and depend on teams of three or four, ruling out larger groups in a single session.
• The free demo has no PIN and no licence, so it cannot substitute for a live licensed class session.
• School and trust licences require custom quotes, and the pilot cohort is full with a waitlist open.
• It is focused on classroom simulation, not individual or self-paced business study.

Alternatives

Choose Business Simulation Software to browse the wider category. Forio is worth considering if a free plan or API and self-hosted platforms matter; its Epicenter Personal plan is free but allows no end-user authentication and no authenticated projects. GoVenture is another option with a free trial and Linux, macOS, web and Windows platforms. GLO-BUS has a paid Simulation-Only Option at $44.95, paid once, billed per student, with instructor materials included and registration valid until the course ends. Marketplace Simulations offers an Individual Microsimulation for $8, paid once, billed $8 per student, with 10–25 minute exercises that students can replay. MonsoonSIM is a paid alternative with Android and iOS as well as web access; its Education — Single Course Subscription is $20, paid once, billed USD 20 / learner / 6-month. SimVenture has an Evolution Personal License at £50 a year, billed as an Annual Personal License for one user’s personal use. Cesim Business Simulations is a paid web option with a free trial. Revas Business Simulation Games is a paid web option with a free trial.

Verdict

The Business School is a good choice for a teacher who wants a controlled, curriculum-linked team simulation for a class of up to 32. The combination of live instructor controls, student reports and a teacher report makes it more than a simple competitive exercise. Look elsewhere if you need individual study, a larger session, a published school price or access before the pilot waitlist clears.