It is a term found in the Domesday Book entry for the locality and describes a minor tributary of the River Ray which still runs through the valley in which Nova Hreod Academy lies.

Hreod Burna Senior High School was opened in 1966 for students aged 14 to 18, and had a sixth form.

The head teacher was Dr Blackwell, who remained at the school until 1984, just after New College opened to provide education for all sixth form students in the region.

[2][3] At Easter 2007, Hreod Parkway was vacated and everyone moved into the new campus built on an adjacent greenfield site.

In 2009,[4] and again in 2016,[5] GCSE results put Nova Hreod on the list of the most improved schools in the country.