[4] Thomas Parmiter was a wealthy silk merchant in East London, who died in 1681.

The Trustees of Thomas Parmiter's Estate bought property in Cambridge Heath, London in 1723.

Fees were to be introduced, with 40 foundation scholarships for boys from the parish of St Matthew's, Bethnal Green.

The Gloucester Street school closed in 1885, reopening in new buildings in Approach Road (51°31′52″N 0°03′04″W / 51.5312°N 0.0511°W / 51.5312; -0.0511) in 1887.

[5][7] In April 2010, Parmiter's School hosted Any Questions?, a topical debate on the elections, broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

[10] The Ofsted inspection in July 2024 found that "The School's purposeful pursuit of excellence and academic rigour enables pupils to excel"[11] In 1997 the Year 12 football team reached the final[12] of the English Schools' Football Association National Cup, the title being shared with Monkseaton High School after a 0-0 draw and again in both 2005 and 2006, narrowly losing twice.