The pilot, Cyril Douglas Gower, had been flying in formation with two other Spitfire fighters when his aircraft collided with the wingtip of another and lost control.

[27] The only confirmed headmaster of Grays Tech was Cyril Baggs, who left in 1957 to become head of Fryerns School in Basildon.

Griffin decided to apply to the DFES in March 2003 for the school to specialise as a visual arts college.

This culminated in 2007 when incidents occurred within and in relation to the school, leading to intervention by OFSTED and Thurrock Council.

[citation needed] In May 2007, a fight between two 11-13-year-old students broke out in the school playground; onlookers cheered on and no staff could be found.

In response, Headteacher Graham Winter said he knew "nothing" about the fight and law enforcement urged the school to "look into matters and report any assault to us so that we can put an end to this violence".

The inspection showed the school upheld outdated academic policies, underachieved in core subjects and had failed to provide adequate religious education.

Teachers were criticised for inadequate teaching, having low expectations in lessons and failing to mark books over several months, though it was noted pupils' behaviour had improved and was deemed "satisfactory".

[47] In September 2008, Lynn Ibeji took over from Tim Rider as headteacher in a permanent capacity and continued his policies, and the school was taken out of special measures on 8 October 2009.

[50] In July 2012, acting Headteacher Marchant announced Grays School Media Arts College intended to become an academy, a plan that had been in place since at least 2008,[51] The school's governing board made the decision unanimously, with the Academy Transformation Trust sponsoring its conversion in a bid for it to achieve outstanding status,[52] the highest OFSTED rank.

[54] The school closed for a final time on June 30, 2013, and the new Hathaway Academy began operations on July 1, 2013, in preparation for the beginning of the 2013-2014 academic year.

From December 2015, Howarth worked part-time, taking multiple leaves of absences for the treatment of his returning lymphoma.

[58] In June 2015, OFSTED categorised Hathaway Academy as "good", reaffirming this status with a short inspection in 2018.

[60] In March 2020 the school closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and moved to online learning via Microsoft Teams.

[62] There is also a local academy committee made up of governors who scrutinise the senior leadership team and are permitted to intervene in administration should the school's standards decline.

The colleges aimed to create a family environment and were intended to recognise every student, not deterring them from making mistakes.

[67][68] The school is segregated into three faculties (houses), each of which is represented by a colour; these are Purpose (red), Engagement (yellow) and Self-Worth (green).

[69][62][22] The Grays County Technical High School was selective and required all applicants to pass the 11-plus exam.

[citation needed] The Hathaway Academy is coeducational and comprehensive, meaning pupils of both sexes are admitted and are not restricted by academic achievement or aptitude.

[70] The Grays School Media Arts College was also coeducational and comprehensive, but offered boarding to its students.

The school's admissions policy is dictated by the Academy Transformation Trust in coordination with Thurrock Council.

Once the school's pupil admission number (PAN) is oversubscribed, applicants are preferred if they fall under the following factors by order of priority: Children who have been allocated to attend the Hathaway Academy by the government due to special needs or an education, health and care plan must by law be approved by the school.

In the early 2000s, Grays School offered pupils out-of-hours extracurricular activities; this included fishing and Warhammer gaming.

The school also offered to hold support classes for parents, in which finance management and desktop publishing were taught.

From 6 October, Grays Youth Theatre established two drama groups in preparation for a play that was to be showcased in June 2008, and offered sessions for 6-13-year-olds in one of the school's demountables.

[82] Hathaway Academy provides out-of-hours clubs such as DnD and Creative writing and pupils are allowed to participate in school productions for music, art, drama and media.

[89] In 2013, Grays School began demolishing old, disused demountables and replacing them with a new building in preparation for academy status.

Hathaway Academy was renovated in early 2015; according to the Principal James Howarth; "It's a complete transformation.

A building that looked completely unattractive is now one where children comment regularly that they feel happier coming to school, and that environment is where learning and progress happens without any question of a doubt.

[97] In 2016, business studies teacher Emma Hughes was awarded at the House of Commons for her "outstanding contribution to the academy".