Living at RNC

Residential Support and Care - “Outstanding” Ofsted

It’s official – the residential and care provision provided at The Royal National College for the Blind (RNC) is ‘outstanding’ according to our latest Ofsted inspection report.

 The report confirms the College’s work to be of outstanding quality and to date, the grades awarded to RNC are the best of any specialist residential college for people with visual impairment in the UK.

Regardless of your circumstances, we are well aware that living away from home, whether for the first time or not, can often be daunting.

This section is dedicated to Life at RNC; accommodation, catering, social activities and so on. We hope you will find the answers to any queries you may have here, but please do not hesitate to contact us should you need any more information.

Accommodation and catering are covered by your funding, so you don’t need to worry about whether or not you can afford to leave home to study; it’s all here ready for you.

Accommodation

Whether it’s your first time away from home or you have lived independently before, our four halls of residence are well equipped to help you adjust to life as an RNC learner. All of our single study bedrooms are en-suite, and are linked up to communal living spaces with comfy sofas and a television. The vast majority of learners will also share kitchen areas, where you can make breakfast, drinks and socialise with friends over lunch or dinner when not dining in RNC’s Rowton’s Restaurant. Learners are grouped together in terms of age and interests, so it’s never hard to make friends and find things to do.

We are regularly asked about accommodation for wheelchair users and guide dog owners; this is most certainly available, and within the same halls as everyone else, so no one is excluded from everyday campus life.

The accommodation is situated just over the road from the main learning campus, and with the intensive support of the Mobility and Independent Living Skills Team you will soon be able to get around and familiarise yourself with cross-campus routes.

Our Residential Support Team are always on hand to support your needs, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They are able to support you with anything from preparing your breakfast and changing your bed linen, to assisting you with resolving any issues you may have in halls during your time at the College.

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. We provide cereals, milk and bread etcetera for you to make your breakfast in halls (with the help of a residential support officer if needed), and we can also support learners who may wish to self cater, on health, cultural or religious grounds.