The school was built in the 1960s and is located in the Panshanger district of the town.

[1] The school was named after Sir Frederic Osborn, a pioneer of the garden city movement.

[2] The school has a school council, where representatives from each year group attend regular meetings to decide what changes need to be made to school life to make the experience more beneficial to students and staff alike.

A building programme over the past few years has given the school new science, technology and vocational education blocks, as well as dance and drama studios.

The school is part of the Welwyn Hatfield Consortium, which also includes: