The school was originally located in the Albert Hall in the High Street (now the Co-operative Bank), until its intended premises at the top of North Hill (now the Sixth Form College) were completed.

Most of the buildings are unchanged, but an extension, including new science laboratories and Sixth Form facilities was added in 2002.

The 'mSchool' was added between 2006 and 2009, with new facilities for music, mathematics and the mind; its 'iLab' (innovation laboratory) is one of the few in the UK outside a university.

In 2018 new classrooms, including a new healthy living studio; a new sixth form centre with a lecture theatre and an IT suite were completed;In 2017, the top floor of the science block, or 'S-block’, was refurbished to facilitate the Colchester Teacher Training Consortium (CTTC).

[5] This reading is still included in the traditional school assembly at the start of each academic year: Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun.