[5][6] A sports pavilion, a listed building, was erected on the main playing field, chiefly funded by old boys to honour those from the school who had died in the first war.

A temporary facility was established in a semi-detached house on Woodhouse Road, Mansfield, during 1884, opening in January, 1885 with 35 pupils.

Expansion necessitated purchase of the house next door until new school buildings were established nearby, to open on 22 September 1891 with 143 pupils.

[14] In 2011 the school was placed into special measures after a critical Ofsted report deriving from a March audit was published in May.

[16] In September 2016 the school became part of the Diverse Academies Learning Partnership trust (DALP) following an "inadequate" finding from a January 2016 Ofsted report, including "leadership and management" – the third time in four years that the worst rating had been issued.