A school in North Somerset will become the first to offer its students a new qualification and another alternative to A-Levels. Sidcot, an independent Quaker School in Winscombe, will be enrolling students for an International Baccalaureate (IB) course fr

A school in North Somerset will become the first to offer its students a new qualification and another alternative to A-Levels.Sidcot, an independent Quaker School in Winscombe, will be enrolling students for an International Baccalaureate (IB) course from September.The new qualification, for pupils aged 16-18, will test students across a range of subjects including maths, English and foreign languages.Sidcot headteacher John Walmsley said: "We're very excited to be offering the IB at the school from September." "It is an international qualification of at least 40 years' standing and it's free from government interference. The qualification teaches students how to learn and instills a great sense of community, both locally and internationally, enabling young people to undertake real and original research."Mr Walmsley added: "The IB doesn't suffer from grade inflation, although it's for the same ability group as A-level it enables good students to show what they can really do at a much higher level than A-level."Students can go anywhere in the world to study having obtained the IB qualification and universities worldwide value it very highly indeed."Lynne Rampton, of Sidcot Lane, whose 15-year-old daughter, Scarlett, goes to the school, said: "It's great for the children to have a choice to do something different from A-levels.