ACADEMY students in Yate and Winterbourne are to be given even more chances to go global with the extension of an international curriculum.

The Ridings’ Federation of Academies, which includes both Yate and Winterbourne International Academies as well as Woodlands Primary phase also in Yate, has announced additional opportunities for students to study the International Baccalaureate (IB).

The IB involves students selecting six subjects to study rather than three or four and work towards a total points score of anything up to 45.

It is taught across the globe and is widely lauded for its consistency and providing a level playing field for students from different parts of the world looking to work for international companies.

The Ridings’ federation has offered the IB as an alternative to A-level study at Winterbourne International Academy since 2006. Due to its success, principal Dr Roger Gibson has now announced the programme will be extended for younger students.

The International Baccalaureate Middle Years curriculum is being introduced to all Year 7 students who started at Winterbourne International Academy this autumn. It will be bought in for students at Yate International Academy in autumn 2014 and will be introduced to students at Woodlands Primary Phase in 2015.

Dr Gibson said the move was a continuation of the federation’s international ethos which was agreed before The Ridings High School in Winterbourne and King Edmund Community School in Yate applied for academy status.

He said: "When considering the future of The Ridings’ Federation in 2004, I identified internationalism and learning from others as fundamental to the development of both of our academies.

"I remain convinced of the need for effective educational organisations to be adaptable and flexible, and look beyond national borders, and this is centred upon a greater understanding of the inter-connectedness of subjects and work skills to truly reflect ‘the global village’ in which students operate."