It was built during the early 1970s after a contracted period of delays and was necessary due to the increasing overcrowding at nearby Formby High School.

The school was built on a 20 acres (8.1 ha) site and was split across two separate single storey buildings, one for teaching classrooms and the other for sports and arts.

Upon its gaining specialist status, a government grant was provided to the school, allowing investment in new technology and building work, making what was formerly a geography department into an IT suite, and adding interactive whiteboards in many classrooms.

In December 2018, the school received "requires improvement" during their November 2018 Ofsted inspection, having previously achieved five consecutive "outstanding" judgements.

Deputy headteacher Tom Dolly said that they decided to remove the doors due to anti-social behaviour and denied boys' privacy was affected by their choice.