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The Business School

thebusiness.school

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Spec score 8.4 #5 of 26 in Business Simulation Software

What it is

The Business School is a browser-based classroom simulation where student teams run rival firms in a shared market during one lesson. Teams decide prices, hiring, loans, VAT, crises, and deals, with the effects visible in the simulation. Each session supports 6 to 32 students across up to eight firms of three or four. Teachers can pause or resume phases, trigger a crisis, review firm activity, and display a live leaderboard. Students join using a six-digit PIN and a team label or first name, without student accounts or email addresses. They can download private reports, while the teacher receives a curriculum-mapped class report by email within 48 hours. Knowledge Check questions are listed for 23 business courses, including AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, WJEC, Cambridge, BTEC, and IB courses. Session data is stored in an EU database in Frankfurt; the company says it does not sell data or use it for advertising, and teachers can end a session at any time. A free teacher demo is listed. School and trust licence prices are by quote after the pilot. The Autumn 2026 pilot cohort is full, with a waitlist open.

Spec sheet

What it does
The Business School is a browser simulation in which student teams run competing firms and make pricing, VAT, hiring, investment and negotiation decisions during a class lesson.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Product
The Business School is a live classroom business simulation in which student teams run rival firms in a shared market during one lesson.Read 4 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Platforms
The simulation runs in a modern browser on laptops, desktops and Chromebooks without downloads, plugins or installations.Read 4 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Integrations
The opened pages describe curriculum alignment with AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, WJEC, Cambridge, BTEC and IB courses but no external software integrations.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Privacy
The company says it does not sell data or use it for advertising, and that session data can be ended by the teacher at any time.Read 4 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Compliance
TBS Education Ltd Oy states that it is registered with the UK Information Commissioner's Office under registration ZC133810.Read 4 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Support
The founder page states that support is answered within 24 hours by a person familiar with the material.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
AI processing
Written student answers are sent to a language model for marking and are not used to train the model.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
API and SDK
The opened product, curriculum, licensing and IT pages provide no public API, SDK or developer documentation.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Assessment boundary
Reports are indicative learning records rather than official grades, and assessment remains the teacher’s responsibility.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Availability
The site says the Autumn 2026 pilot cohort is full at 30 of 30 schools and that a waitlist is open.Read 4 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Business activities
Students make decisions about prices, hiring, loans, VAT, crises and deals, with consequences visible in the simulation.Read 4 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Business mechanics
The simulation includes vehicle stock limits, customer orders, marketplace trading, marketing campaigns, R&D, loans, investments, hiring auctions, sabotage, VAT filing and crisis events.Read 15 Oct 2026 · play.thebusiness.school
Class size
A session supports 6 to 32 students arranged in 2 to 8 teams.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Company activity
Woorati classifies the company’s main business as other architectural and engineering activities and related technical consultancy, code 71129.Read 15 Oct 2026 · woorati.com
Company headquarters
Woorati gives the company postal address as Ala-Tonttilankatu 6 C 95, 15170 Lahti, Finland.Read 15 Oct 2026 · woorati.com
Company registration
Woorati lists TBS Education Ltd Oy as a Finnish OY registered on 22 April 2026 with business ID 3614159-3.Read 15 Oct 2026 · woorati.com
Company registrations
Woorati shows active registrations in Finland’s Trade Register and Tax Administration beginning 22 April 2026.Read 15 Oct 2026 · woorati.com
Curriculum
The site lists Knowledge Check questions written for 23 business courses, including AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, WJEC, Cambridge, BTEC and IB courses.Read 4 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Curriculum mapping
The curriculum page maps recorded activities to Pearson Edexcel GCSE, A-level and BTEC topics and provides Knowledge Check questions for 23 specified courses.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Data location
The site says session data is stored server-side in an EU database in Frankfurt.Read 4 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Data retention
Student data and game states are deleted after 30 days, while waitlist and enquiry data is retained for 24 months.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Development partner
The founder page says Appifest, a Sydney development studio, has built and maintained the simulation since March 2026 under a milestone agreement.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Device requirements
Students need a recent Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox browser on Windows, Mac or ChromeOS; phones and tablets cannot join live lessons.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Founder
The founder page identifies Sakari Laajoki as founder and says he writes the teaching material, runs the company and handles support.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
GDPR roles
The school acts as data controller and TBS Education Ltd Oy acts as processor under a written agreement.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Hosting and subprocessors
The trust page names Netlify for hosting, Neon in Frankfurt for the database and OpenAI for marking written answers.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Licence and ownership
The founder page says every line of the simulation, including source code, database, game logic and documentation, belongs to TBS Education Ltd Oy.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Limit: class capacity
A session cannot exceed 32 students, so larger cohorts must be split.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Limit: content corrections
The corrections page records specification and marking errors found in 2026 resources, including wrong question types and specification codes, which were subsequently fixed.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Limit: device coverage
Phones and tablets, including iPads, are excluded from live lessons.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Limit: pilot availability
The homepage says autumn pilot places are full and that school invitations begin on 1 December 2026.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Limit: pricing transparency
Paid school and MAT licences have no published prices and require a quote after a free pilot.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Limit: solo learning
Solo mode is listed as still in development rather than available.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Network requirements
The service uses HTTPS on port 443, makes ordinary requests rather than WebSockets, and requires whitelisting thebusiness.school and play.thebusiness.school.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Notable news: launch article
A company blog post dated 29 April 2026 announced a free Edexcel A-level simulation designed for a single 60-minute classroom period.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Praise: engagement
Pilot teachers quoted on the homepage said students enjoyed the activity, with one school reporting that it now plays weekly.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Praise: repeat use
A teacher at Verbier International School returned to run a second class and said the experience seemed much better.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Reports
Each student receives a private report, while the teacher receives class results and participation analysis by email within 48 hours.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Self-hosting
The product is presented as a hosted browser service with session data stored server-side in an EU database; self-hosting instructions are not provided.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Session timing
Teachers choose three rounds of 10, 15, 20 or 25 minutes, for a total lesson length of roughly 30 to 75 minutes.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Student access
Students join through a six-digit PIN with a first name or nickname and do not create accounts or passwords.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
Tax status
Woorati reports no recorded tax debts and no listed failures to file self-assessed tax returns as of 31 March 2026.Read 15 Oct 2026 · woorati.com
Teacher controls
The teacher dashboard shows firms, roles, actions and questions, and can pause, resume, trigger the round-three crisis, project a live chart and stop a session.Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school

Plans and prices

Teacher demo Free No credit card; no licence Seven-step demo · no PIN · no commitment Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
A-Level Business: The Complete Year £49, paid once Founding price for first five buyers; then £79 30 weeks · 60 taught lessons · 90 planned hours · PDF, Word and PowerPoint · one school licence Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
GCSE Business: The Complete Year £49, paid once Founding price for first five buyers; then £79 30-week Year 10 course · AQA 8132 and Edexcel 1BS0 · PDF, Word and PowerPoint · one school licence Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
MAT licence Price not published Annual fee; quote after pilot One agreement across trust schools · single point of contact Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school
School licence Price not published Annual fee; quote after pilot Unlimited sessions and classes · up to 32 students per session · per school, never per seat Read 15 Oct 2026 · thebusiness.school

Every The Business School plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Supports up to 32 students per session.
  • Teachers can control phases and trigger crises.
  • Students join without accounts or email addresses.
  • Provides private student reports and a curriculum-mapped class report.
  • Lists questions for 23 business courses.

Limits

  • School and trust licence prices require a quote.
  • Autumn 2026 pilot cohort is full.
  • Browser access is the listed deployment.
  • No named third-party product integrations.

Who it suits

The Business School suits teachers who want a live, team-based business simulation for classes of 6 to 32 students. The listed course questions and teacher controls may suit instructors seeking curriculum-linked classroom activities.

The Business School in depth

Read the full write-up

Overview

The Business School is a live business simulation for classes that want to explore strategy through competing firms in a shared market. It is strongest for teachers seeking a single-lesson, curriculum-linked team exercise; schools needing immediate access or a clear purchase price should look elsewhere.

Key features

Teams make decisions about pricing, hiring, borrowing, VAT, crises and deals, with the effects playing out in the simulation. This gives students a way to consider how business choices interact, rather than treating each topic as a separate exercise. Sessions accommodate 6 to 32 students in up to eight firms of three or four, so the format is designed for a class-sized group and does not suit larger sessions without dividing the class.

Teachers can pause or resume phases, trigger a crisis, inspect firm activity and project a live leaderboard. Those controls make it possible to steer the lesson and introduce a disruption at a chosen point. Students can download private reports; the teacher receives 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, giving the activity a direct connection to a range of course curricula.

Students join in a browser using a six-digit PIN and a team label or first name, without student accounts or email addresses. That reduces the setup students need, while keeping participation tied to a live class session rather than individual accounts. 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 ZC133810. Support is answered within 24 hours by a person who knows the material.

Pricing

The Teacher demo is free: free, billed Free, with no credit card required. It has no PIN or licence and is a six-step demo, so it provides a way to see the format but not a licensed classroom session.

The School licence uses one annual fee with custom pricing after the pilot. It includes unlimited sessions and classes, permits up to 32 students per session and is priced per school, never per seat. That structure suits schools expecting repeated use, though the lack of a published fee makes budgeting difficult. The MAT licence has custom pricing after the pilot and covers trust schools under one agreement with a single point of contact, a more consolidated option for multi-school trusts.

The Autumn 2026 pilot cohort is full at 30 of 30 schools, with a waitlist open. That makes the demo the immediate option for prospective users, while a school or trust licence depends on the post-pilot offer.

Platforms

The Business School runs on the web. Browser-based student access avoids requiring student accounts or email addresses, but no other platform is described.

Who it's for

This is a good fit for business teachers who want a controlled, team-based classroom simulation with curriculum-linked questions and follow-up reporting. Its 32-student session limit and live lesson format make it less suitable for larger cohorts, self-paced individual learning or schools that need to begin using a paid licence immediately.

Pros and cons

Pros: Teacher controls, a live leaderboard and crisis triggers support active lesson management rather than a hands-off simulation.

Pros: Private student reports and a curriculum-mapped teacher report connect the activity to review after the session.

Pros: PIN-based browser access avoids student accounts and email addresses.

Cons: Sessions stop at 32 students, requiring a different arrangement for larger classes.

Cons: School and trust licences have custom pricing, so costs cannot be assessed before requesting a quote.

Cons: The pilot cohort is full, limiting immediate access to the free demo and waitlist.

Alternatives

Business Simulation Software is the broader category for comparing this type of classroom tool. Choose GoVenture if Linux, macOS or Windows support matters alongside web access; it has a free trial but no free plan. Forio is worth considering when API or self-hosted deployment is important, and its Epicenter Personal plan is free with unlimited projects but no end-user authentication or authenticated projects.

MonsoonSIM offers Android and iOS as well as web access, and its single-course plan costs $20 as a one-time purchase, billed USD 20 / learner / 6-month, with fixed class size. Cesim Business Simulations is another paid, web-based option with a free trial. ExtendSim suits readers comparing a Windows-capable tool with a defined individual licence: Analysis RunTime costs $495, paid once and includes the first year of Maintenance & Support Plan.

OrgSimulator offers free professor access with teaching materials and course management tools, while student access costs $50 run. Revas Business Simulation Games offers an annual Mini subscription with 50 school licence keys, 50 university licence keys and one of 19 simulations. SimVenture is an option for a personal-use licence across macOS, web and Windows; its Evolution Personal License costs £50 a year and includes 12 months of remote maintenance and technical support.

Verdict

The Business School is best for business teachers running a class-sized, curriculum-linked strategy lesson who value instructor control and post-session reporting. Its strongest reason to choose it is the combination of team decisions, teacher intervention and class reporting in one format. The main reasons to look elsewhere are the full pilot cohort, custom licence pricing and the 32-student ceiling.

Verdict

The Business School combines team decisions, teacher controls, and curriculum-linked reporting in a single lesson format. A free demo is listed, but schools and trusts must request licence pricing, and the stated pilot cohort is full.

Where Specifiction places it

Alternatives to The Business SchoolAll alternatives →