The college was first founded in 1992 by the Catholic Church on a site in Lewisham owned by the Archdiocese of Southwark, it welcomes students from all religions and backgrounds.

The college is run by its Principal and senior staff, whose appointment is one of the tasks of the governing body.

[1] On 1 February 2013 Crossways Sixth Form in Telegraph Hill was closed and the site taken over under the name Christ the King: Aquinas.

In 2019, Christ the King Sixth Forms announced that they would be remodelling the curriculum offer for 2020; CTK Aquinas will become a selective A Level centre, where students can choose from over 21 A Levels (Entry criteria will be selective with an average grade 6) CTK Emmanuel will become a professional centre for excellence, where students will be offered high quality vocational courses, with the emphasis on University progression.

CTK St Mary’s will continue to offer a wide range of both BTEC and A Level courses at a sixth from centre for excellence The following "partner" schools get priority when it comes to admissions: In 2013 a team from the college won[2] the national Animation13 competition run by Manchester University.