It has also retained specialist sports college status and claims to offer a "strong approach to the arts.

[14] In 1959 cropmarks on Little Graven Field were discovered through satellite imagery, expanding archaeological interest and suggesting previous occupation.

The school opened on 11 September and was named after William H. Edwards, a man of lifelong local government and education within Thurrock.

With this specialisation it gained the right to admit 10% of its pupil admission intake according to sport aptitude, a right it still holds today despite becoming an academy.

[8] In 2006 William Edwards Headteacher Brenda Watson announced her resignation after leading the school since at least 2001 due to a possible vote of no-confidence "amid controversy over staff restructuring".

"[34] In 2015 the school became a founding, and the leading member, of the South West Essex Community Education Trust (SWECET).

In 2018 Headteacher Steve Munday resigned to become full time CEO of SWECET in July 2018, being replaced by current Head Mr. Simon Bell.

Under Munday and Bell SWECET and William Edwards lead the creation of a brand new free school named Orsett Heath Academy.

The original plans included many sports facilities which could have facilitated Grays Athletic's return to the area from Aveley.

The inspectorate made a controversial decision to recategorize the school as "requires improvement", one rank above special measures status.

"[40] An inspection has taken place in October 2023 and the outcome has yet to be published Originally in 1962 there were 3 school houses each named after landowners and lords of the manor historic to the local area.

They were Bruyn, Rokell and Warren and some years later a fourth house was added, named after the influential Whitmore family.

[41] The Whitmore family especially has historical ties to the local area due to its inheritance of the old Orsett Hall, which burned down in 2007.

In order to support pupils most affected by the pandemic the school planned to introduce a fifth house to increase its total capacity.

For example, as a result of the magnificent work carried out by the NHS over the last year, pupils wanted to celebrate the role of nurses and have therefore chosen ‘Nightingale’ as the name for one of the new houses.

The new names were accused of being "woke" and the changes a "clear case of cancel culture" that had "infested" the school.

[43] The Change.org petition stressed that "These names have stood since the school was established over 50 years ago, representing local history.

[45] The school is locally governed by the South West Essex Community Education Trust (SWECET).

[8] In 2011 the school was praised as one of the top 10% of secondaries in England by Ofsted[28] and in 1997 it won the Queen Mother's Environmental Award.

[17] Former long-time Deputy Headteacher Ralph Henderson was on the Queen's 2008 New Years Honours list and became a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for his services to education.

[17] Former Headteacher John King also holds an OBE since 2005 and is regarded as a "super-head", with the accolades of being one of the top 17 earning heads in the entire country and securing four outstanding Ofsted judgements for Gable Hall and one for William Edwards, having run both schools at the same time.