Henry Fanshawe had been a local boys' schoolmaster in the town, with a school on a small site on the outskirts of neighbouring Holmesfield.

At present, the Gladys Buxton site remains disused for public schooling use, yet is retained as a reserve should numbers rise, or alternative teaching space be needed.

The Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School was officially opened on 28 January 1991 by Harry Barnes, then Labour MP for North East Derbyshire.

The renamed and refurbished school was opened in September 2004 by Ruth Kelly, secretary of state for Education at the time.

However, there is evidence to suggest Henry Fanshawe had educated boys in neighbouring Holmesfield for some years.

Although the school was relocated with increasing pupil numbers, to the current site, on Green Lane, Dronfield.

As a consequence of this, Gladys Buxton School was closed, mainly due to increasing building maintenance costs and falling numbers.

The Gosforth Secondary Modern School was opened in 1955 to serve 11–15 year olds in the Dronfield area, and the larger numbers brought in by the new housing estates.

As of the latest Ofsted inspection in November 2015, the school is considered to be officially Outstanding in all aspects, including effectiveness of leadership and management; quality of teaching, learning and assessment; personal development, behaviour and welfare; outcomes for pupils; 16 to 19 study programmes; and overall.