Saltwells School closed in 1986, with pupils and staff transferred to an expanded Hillcrest, though due to a lack of capacity some pupils had to attend other nearby schools.

[1] Previous Headteachers of The Link Academy have included: April Garratt, who took over in Easter 2007.

Her predecessor, Dame Maureen Brennan, was appointed a Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in December 2005, in recognition of her services to local education after turning around the formerly struggling school.

However, allegations of fraud involving doctoring attendance records emerged after her departure from the school in 2007.

[3] The academy opened in September 2017, with the school's name officially changing a year later.