Living at The Royal National College for the Blind

RNC provides you with a supportive, enabling residential environment that will develop your confidence to study but importantly to live independently. These are essential skills if you are considering moving to university or finding work and having your own home after college

RNC is an exciting place live and we understand that living away from home for the first time can often be daunting, especially if you are blind or partially sighted. That’s why during your pre-entry assessment we will work with you to ensure that your accommodation and you’re surrounding suit you. 

During your time at RNC our outstanding residential team are on hand 24 hours a day and ensure that moving a way from home and living more independently is a smooth and exciting prospect. 

‘Outstanding’ - Ofsted 2011 

In Ofsted’s most recent inspection in June 2011, The Royal National College for the Blind achieved an overall rating of ‘outstanding’ in all areas. The inspectors visited RNC to assess residential and care provision for students. The inspectors concluding, “The quality of service at this college is outstanding. The strong leadership and professional staff teams ensure that the college is ambitious and focused on continued improvement.” Full report available

RNC’s Campus

RNC is spread across 18 beautiful acres that includes the main teaching campus and the student village. 

• The learning Campus includes
• Academic teaching areas

• ICT classrooms
• Learning Resources Centre
• Recording Studio
• Radio station
• Performance studio
• Student Services
• Art Studio
• Refectory 

The student village houses a wide variety of accommodation as well as recreational and leisure facilities for you to enjoy, including

• 4 halls of residence
• 6 student lodges
• Campus Clinic, including nursing and counseling services
• Sport facility, including two gymnasiums, indoor and outdoor sports pitch
• Bistro
• Student Union Bar
• Spa facilities

The mobility team will work with you to develop or improve your orientation skills, and will work with you until you are confident to get around and familiarise yourself with cross-campus routes.

The best way to understand RNC is to come and visit us and experience our campus for yourself, call 01432 376 621 or email info@rncb.ac.uk to book a tour. 

Accommodation

RNC’s student village is situated next to the main teaching campus and has been specifically designed to
accommodate your needs and ensure that you are can enjoy your time here.

We place a great deal of emphasis on improving your ability to live independently because we know that it is vital for the next step in your life. Although, we understand that you my not be confident or need more support, therefore our superb residential team are always on hand to support you and reinforce the skills that you may be learning in your independent living skills sessions.

During your pre-entry assessment we talk to you about living at RNC and we will put you together with other students of a similar age and interests, so it’s never hard to make friends and find things to do.

We have number of different halls of residence and a variety for rooms, Campbell Hall and Orchard Hall are where are younger students live. All of our halls of residence have single occupancy study bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, and are linked to communal living spaces with comfy sofas and televisions, you will also share a kitchen, as well as laundry facilities. 

Campbell Hall is home to all students under the age of 18 years, and therefore has different rules that ensure that you are safe and supported.  Orchard Hall is home to all students over the age of 18 years. Orchard Hall also boasts a number of self-contained apartments that have their own kitchen as well as an ensuite study bedroom. This offers you a fantastic opportunity to live completely independently and is something you can progress on to during your time with us. 

Catering 

The College Restaurant, Rowton’s provides a wide selection of food for lunch and evening dinner. There is always a great choice of hot meals with a vegetarian option, as well as salads, sandwiches and desserts. We cater for many special dietary requirements for health, cultural or religious grounds. 

Breakfast is serviced in you accommodation during the week and we provide cereals, milk, bread, jams and spreads as well as fruit juices for you to make your breakfast in halls (with the help of a residential support officer if needed). Weekend breakfast is served in Rowton’s and offers a wide variety from cooked breakfast, continental breakfast as well as fruits and juices.    

As you develop your living skills and become more independent you may wish to consider self catering. With the support of your living skills tutor and the residential you will be given a weekly shopping allowance that will allow you to buy your own food and prepare meals for yourself.