Royal School for the Blind (Liverpool)

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 behavioural 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 programmes 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 programmes are individualised, 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 accomodation comprising teaching areas with en-suite facilities, a library and newly referbished 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 are able to take advantage of courses outside school, we maintain close links with local Further Education Colleges and many other local arts and leisure activities. In addition, All students gain external, accredition 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 recognisable 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.