Originally formed as St Etheldreda's, in 1989 Glengorse and Hydneye was merged into the school.

The 13th-century Abbot’s house was preserved and passed into private hands, and numerous additional structures also survived including the 14th-century gatehouse (which now serves as the main school gate) as well as a ruined monks' dorter (dormitory).

The school was founded in 1912, as St Etheldreda's, Bexhill-on-Sea, by May Jacoby and her sister Helen Sheehan-Dare.

There was a major fire in 1931 which caused extensive damage, notably to the Abbot's Hall; restoration was carried out by the architect Harold Brakspear.

The Abbot's Hall now contains the (extremely) large painting of the Battle of Hastings by Francis Wilkin.