A secondary school in Birmingham is taking an international approach to education by offering students a new International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma course.

From September, the Arthur Terry School will be the first school in Sutton Coldfield to teach the IB Diploma, which is offered by more than 3,000 schools across the globe.

Under the new diploma, which is taken instead of A Levels, pupils will study six compulsory subjects as well as an extended essay project.

The two-year IB also includes 180 hours of creativity, action, service – which can include volunteering and sports – which makes up part of pupils’ final mark.

Deputy Head Neil Warner said the move would keep the school at the “cutting edge” of education.

He said: “This is about looking at the curriculum and deciding what will best prepare students for a full role in society.”

More than 220 schools offer the IB diploma, including King Edward’s School in Edgbaston, who last year became the first school in the country to complete scrap A Levels in favour of the diploma.