The Rutherford School was built from 1958 to 1960, designed by the architect Leonard Manasseh, and is a Grade II* listed building.

In December 2008, Ofsted conducted a monitoring visit and rated the academy as 'outstanding'.

[3] In December 2009, Ofsted conducted a full inspection and rated the school outstanding.

[citation needed] The school is funded by the Department for Education but is operated by Ark schools, a registered charity under English law,[4] and sponsored by parent charity Ark.

[5] The current headmaster of the secondary school is Max Haimendorf, a graduate of St. Hugh's College, Oxford, who was amongst the first cohort of the Teach First programme.