The college has its origins in Rotherham Grammar School (founded 1483), whose buildings it took over.

In the 1960s, the grammar school had around 600 boys and was administered by the County Borough of Rotherham Education Committee.

It was formally inaugurated on Friday 15 March 1968 by Thomas Rotherham's successor as Archbishop of York, Donald Coggan.

In the initial stages, no new principal was appointed to replace Dr Richard Williams.

[2] By summer 2018 Thomas Rotherham had its first female headteacher, Shirley-Ann Brookes-Mills.

[6] But, the building project was delayed owing to the commercial upheaval arising from the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war.

[6] The building was designed by William Gillbee Habershon and Alfred Robert Pite.

WG's first-cousin Alderman John Matthew Habershon was the first mayor of Rotherham (1871 and 1872).