Opening in 1955 as Totton Grammar School, it became a sixth-form college in 1969 and continued to expand its campus from the late 1980s onwards.

As with many other Grammar Schools, entry to the first year, or first form, was conditional on passing the national 11-Plus examination, normally at the age of 11 or 12.

After that, the more academically-inclined pupils from any secondary school in the area could apply to stay on for a further two years, in what were known as the lower-sixth and upper-sixth forms, to sit A-levels.

In reference to the public school system, the first five forms were split into four houses, made up of one class per year, named Ash, Beech, Holly and Oak.

[3] At this point, the college started to expand outwards from the original school buildings with additional surrounding facilities.

In addition to the rooms in the LRC, the new South Wing and Calmore Road entrance was constructed in 2003 and the college acquired the Hanger Farm site which was opened as an arts venue in 2004.

Each faculty mostly grouped together inside the college, are awarded a distinct colour identification and are headed by a leadership structure.

The Learning Resources Centre contains the college library, equipped with around 40 computers and netbooks and a collection of course-related books and journals as well as a range of Fiction and DVD materials.

The Recreation Centre, currently known as Totton Health and Leisure, is on site and is accessible to both students and members of the public.

[20] Other publicly accessible facilities include Forest First pre-school and the Opus Salon, which offers cheap hair and beauty treatment for everyone while providing experience for the students studying those courses.

Plans for the £1.5 million redevelopment of the farm into an arts centre began in 1999, was built over 2003 and opened in November 2004 following problems with the builder going into administration.

The college operates a Motor Vehicle Centre at Trinity Court on the nearby Calmore Industrial Estate, for teaching students in automotive skills, which was opened in 2010.