The school was founded in 1594 by Anne Sackville, Lady Dacre and Queen Elizabeth I and today occupies a 12-acre (4.9 ha) site close to Clapham Junction railway station.

The school is part of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and at the start of the 2022-23 academic year had 1081 pupils between the ages of ten and eighteen, paying fees of £7,687 per term.

[4] Mention is made of the hospital and similar foundations in an undated letter written by Daniel Defoe, entitled A Scheme for a Royal Palace in the Place of White-Hall.

These had been established originally in the late 1850s as Royal Victoria Patriotic School for Boys, for children orphaned during the Crimean War; the building was designed by Henry Saxon Snell.

They were later commended for their service by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher,[8] and the pupils received an "Outstanding Endeavour" award from the BBC Television children's programme, Blue Peter.