The school is selective in its intake, with prospective Year 7 students having to take the Kent Procedure for Entrance to Secondary Education, an eleven-plus examination.

[citation needed] During the Baedecker Blitz in the Second World War, the old school buildings were destroyed - they were situated in what is now the Whitefriar's Shopping Centre and rebuilt on its present site (just off the A2050) in 1950.

In 2008, the national Gold ArtsMark was awarded to the school for the third time, for excellence in Art, Music, Drama, Dance and Textiles.

[citation needed] The school‘s main classroom block is a 1950s building, originally planned to become a military reserve hospital, which contains thirteen science laboratories, classrooms, studios for art, music and drama, Design Technology workshops and a refurbished Sixth Form centre with a library, computer suite and Common Room.

The site is characterised by its green spaces, bordered with steep grassy hills and large trees, which pollinate over the summer.

A £20m project to build a new classroom block and Sports Hall on site, to replace the original 1950s building, was originally set to open in September 2020, but opened in 2021[3] A 2009 Ofsted inspection[4] found the overall effectiveness of the mathematics subject to be outstanding, stating that "Many students experience outstanding teaching" from "some exceptionally talented teachers" and "some excellent use is made of computer-linked whiteboards to enhance students’ understanding."