Planning Overcrowding at
Formby High School reached unprecedented levels by the early 1970s, with ten-form entries at the school by 1971, each with over 30 pupils per class. Plans were already underway for construction of a new secondary school, then referred to as
Formby South High School. Delays were experienced before construction of the school could commence, due to disagreements with landowners over the value of the land needed to build the school on, then privately owned by the estate of Mr Richard Formby. There were also concerns over dangerous emissions from the proposed heating system. Further delays were reported the following month in February 1974, due to a delay in the tendering process by
Lancashire County Council. Building work started on the school in April 1974 at a cost of around £950,000, following several set backs and at that time was estimated for completion by May 1976. Although some of the early delays were as a result of difficulty in obtaining the land, The construction cost was a considerable increase on the 1973 estimate of £670,000, although assurances were offered that the cost burden would not fall exclusively to Formby residents. Local councilors and parents had been pressing for an additional school for many years, often ending up at the centre of controversy. Upon completion, it was expected that the new school would accommodate 750 pupils, with the potential to increase it up to 1,050 pupils. The school was built on a site and was split across two separate single storey buildings, one for teaching classrooms and the other for sports and arts. Headteacher Graham Aldridge subsequently resigned from his post in early 2019. The school received an Ofsted rating of "good" in 2022. During January 2022, the school took the decision to remove the boys' toilet doors to deter "anti-social behaviour" which was quoted to leave boys feeling uncomfortable. Deputy headteacher Tom Dolly said that they decided to remove the doors due to anti-social behaviour and denied boys' privacy was affected by their choice. Some boys also stated their fears of sexism as the girls' toilets still had doors.
Stabbing plot On 22 July 2024, 17-year-old former pupil Axel Rudakubana used a pseudonym to book a taxi to take him to the school, minutes before the school broke-up for the summer holidays. However, he was stopped by his father as he entered the taxi and returned to their house. A week later, Rudakubana
stabbed 13 people, 3 fatally, at a children's dance party in downtown
Southport. Prosecutors asserted Rudakubana plotted an attack at the school and was unsuccessful due to his father's intervention. It was additionally found that Rudakubana, after being excluded from the school in October 2019, aged 13, returned to the school in December with a
hockey stick on which he had written the names of pupils. He struck one pupil with the hockey stick, breaking their wrist before being restrained by teachers. When the police arrived, a knife was found in his backpack. ==Notable alumni==