The vestry book for St Edwards Church in Romford records an entry on 5 September of that year "whereas a charity school is erecting or setting up with all possible speed to be set up and opened in this town of Romford... for the educating of poor children and teaching them to Read and Write and instructing them in the knowledge and practice of the Christian religion as professed and taught in the Church of England".

Approximately £2 million has been spent expanding the school by building a new block, which includes five science labs, a computer suite, two large drama studios and fifteen regular classrooms.

This gave it access to further funding for courses in Spanish, French and German to up to A level, as well as lessons in Mandarin up to GCSE.

On 1 April 2018, the school joined the Samuel Ward Academy Trust, taking a new legal entity and name.

It also has developed links with a school in Beijing to support the teaching of Mandarin as a GCSE course.

In Easter 2008 five year 10 pupils, a few sixth formers and teachers travelled to Cuba to develop further links.