The official opening took place on 16 November 1972, performed by Professor Dorothy Hodgkin (1910–1994), Chancellor of the University of Bristol from 1970 till 1988, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1964 and the Copley Medal from the Royal Society in 1976.

The school previously gained both Sportsmark and Artsmark awards, whilst also qualifying as an Investor in People.

[7] A sled used as part of the famous Antarctic expedition to the South Pole by Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his team, formerly on display in the former Boys' Grammar School's dining hall, is housed in the Humanities building at Tewkesbury Academy due to the school's links with Dr. Edward Adrian Wilson.

The sled had been donated to the Grammar School by Sir Raymond Priestley who was born in Tewkesbury and who participated in the Antarctic Expeditions of Shackleton and Scott.

In July 2011, it was announced that Gary Watson, formerly headteacher at Maidenhill School, Stroud, would take over the position from January 2012.