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The Royal School for the Blind provides places for up to 66 pupils ranging in age from 2-19 years. All students have a visual impairment and learning difficulties ranging from moderate to profound. Many students have additional sensory, physical, or behavioral disabilities. Our pupils come from all over the country, and about 40% are residential from Monday to Friday. The Royal School for the Blind strives to promote students’ spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development within an environment of mutual respect and sensitivity. The School provides education of the highest quality whilst valuing all pupils and staff as individuals, worthy of dignity and respect. Royal School for the Blind takes pride in its happy, caring, and stimulating environment. The primary department is superbly resourced situated in McGregor Hall, a bright spacious building with individual classrooms, rooms, and a central play area. The children are taught in small groups with a high staff ratio. All pupils have access to the National Curriculum. Tasks are broken down into small steps and each child is encouraged to progress at their own pace through Individual Educational Programmes and also group sessions. Each child has individual programs in these areas designed to meet their needs and help them move on to the next stage in their learning A total communication approach is used which includes speech, signing, body cues, and objects of reference, as appropriate to each child. Although programs are individualized, an awareness of others in the class is fostered. In addition to National Curriculum subjects, the children have the opportunity to enjoy other extra-curricular experiences such as workshops and educational visits into the local community and other places of interest. Mobility and self-help skills are an important part of the curriculum and each child is encouraged to become as independent as possible. The senior classes are situated in a superb purpose-built accommodation comprising teaching areas with en-suite facilities, a library and newly refurbished Food Technology Room and a Science Room. Through providing access to the National Curriculum we strive to develop each pupil’s full potential, preparing them for adult life. For those students who can take advantage of courses outside school, we maintain close links with local Further Education Colleges and many other local arts and leisure activities. Also, All students gain external, accreditation through access to ASDAN programs such as “Transition Challenge” Individually tailored units of work within the A.Q.A. Unit Award Scheme are also available to our pupils through which they are likely to gain nationally recognizable certificates of achievements before leaving school. Work-related learning is important to us in the Senior Department as we explore the world of work and run a range of mini-enterprise schemes and other fundraising events throughout the year. The Senior Department is also home to our Post 16 Students as they further their independence skills as they prepare to leave us. All our students achieve external accreditation through ASDAN “Towards Independence” and individual units of accreditation from AQA. Our Post 16 curriculum is based upon the “Moving On” curriculum from EQUALS. All pupils at the Royal School for the Blind are offered a broad, balanced, relevant, and differentiated curriculum. This is offered through access to the National Curriculum taught primarily through Individual Educational Programmes which take account of each pupils’ sensory and learning abilities. Teaching programs are developed using either non-visual or low vision methods which encourage the pupils to develop their tactile skills and any residual vision. As well as print enhanced by visual aids, a few pupils will use braille as a reading medium and others will use the MOON tactile system. A ‘Moon Room’ has been developed which provides a wide range of Moon activities to help develop early literacy skills. Personal, Social, and Health Education (PSHE) permeates all aspects of learning in the Royal School for the Blind and is considered to be a very important aspect of the curriculum. We strive to help all our pupils acquire the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that they can use to lead an interactive and, as far as possible independent life, within their own homes and community. From the early years, pupils are provided with opportunities to control features of their environment, Self-help skills are nurtured and as pupils move through school, environments that reduce dependency are fostered. All areas of the National Curriculum are offered to the pupils through an appropriate and differentiated approach. Many subjects are taught through a topic-based approach offering plenty of ‘hands-on’ experience. View full school