[1] It formed part of the Labour government's scheme for schools in deprived areas, and was the first Academy in South West England.

[2][3] Built on the site of St George Community College which closed in 2003,[4][5] it is housed in buildings within a new £25 million complex designed by architects Fielden Clegg Bradley.

[10][11] In 2014 the school lost a racial discrimination employment tribunal case for repeatedly overlooking a black employee for promotion.

[12][13] During 2014 the school had two incidents of losing or failing to submit coursework required for external exams, causing pupils to have to retake a year of their education.

[18][19] Following an inspection in April 2019, the school is now rated as 'Good' in all areas, with Ofsted noting that "strong leadership" had "led to rapid improvement over the past three years".