It was originally a split-site school with the lower school on Denmark Street E13, bordered by Cumberland Road E13 to the west and Holborn Road E13 to the north, (now demolished though some of the border walls still exist), and the upper school (that had been Plaistow County Grammar) on Prince Regent Lane E13, on the site of the current Newham Sixth Form College, known as NewVic.

It moved to what had been the site of Trinity Boys' School on Barking Road, Canning Town E16, which is also now demolished and rebuilt as Rokeby from nearby Stratford.

The new building, with a sports hall, netball courts, two football fields and a triple jump area, was opened by Dame Kelly Holmes in 2006.

[citation needed] In 2012, five students were the UK winners of The Big Science Challenge, an international competition run by the British Council and Rolls-Royce.

The students produced a system for capturing water from a variety of sources including baths, sinks and showers, incorporating UV light for purification and hydroelectric fans for power generation.