To gain a place in the lower school, children take the 11-plus exam via the local authority, the London Borough of Redbridge.

The school offers a range of GCSE subjects, including Classical Civilisation.

The grounds were designed by Humphry Repton and originally included Highams Park Lake.

[5] The building was later used a hospital, in which Florence Nightingale worked,[6] as well as a means of accommodation for Winston Churchill during the Second World War.

[7] The site became Woodford County High school for Girls in 1919 and was extended to the north and south between 1928 and 1938.