It joined the Confucius institute programme in 2007, partnering with Suzhou Lida Middle School in Jiangsu, China.

[12][13] At Burnt Mill's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2012, the school received outstanding grades in all categories.

[16][17] The construction of Burnt Mill Comprehensive School began in 1958 in order to serve the post-war new town of Harlow.

In 1969, the school experienced multiple expansions concerning its buildings and also provided disability units for pupils suffering from partial hearing loss.

The school's partial hearing loss disability units introduced in 1969 were still present and were praised by Ofsted as being "well resourced and effective.

Silvia Jones was succeeded as headteacher in April 2005 by Stephen Chamberlain and in December the school was graded as inadequate by Ofsted.

Ofsted mostly criticised the low GCSE results in English, maths and science, stressing that only one in five students achieved a C or above.

[10] Headteacher Stephen Chamberlain left Burnt Mill in the summer of 2009, taking up the post of executive principal at the new Clacton Coastal Academy.

[24][25] Two co-acting heads, Ann Davis and Joanna Clark, assumed his post at Burnt Mill.

[32][33] Schools involved in the programme will rebuild and refurbish their buildings over a period of 10 years, sharing a £500 million fund.

Burnt Mill Academy has pastorally managed its students using a house system since its inception in 1962.

Students earn points for their house by participating in the BM Xtra scheme, a form of extracurricular activity at the school.

[42] In April 1964, Burnt Mill was visited by Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro, resulting in the school being broadcast on regional BBC News channel Town and Around.

Two years later the school was visited again, this time by British Secretary of State for Education Quintin Hogg.