All classes now held in revamped Morningside campus

Pupils at Edinburgh’s Royal Blind School are attending classes on the one site this term for the first time.

The charity run school’s Morningside campus has undergone a year of redevelopment meaning pupils are no longer split between there and the original school at Craigmillar Park, Newington.

Improvements to the campus include new specialist classrooms, a games area suitable for children with disabilities, contrasting colours which enable pupils with low vision to navigate independently and a flat for visiting parents and carers. All teaching and care facilities are located on the ground floor, ensuring improved accessibility.

The site at Morningside is well equipped to cater for children with varying complex needs in addition to their visual impairment. It also accommodates two other Royal Blind services for children and young people – Kidscene after school and holiday club, and Forward Vision, a residential and respite service for 18-24 year olds.

Richard Hellewell, chief executive of Royal Blind, said: “The new term marks the beginning of an exciting new phase for the Royal Blind School.

“I’m sure all pupils will benefit from the wealth of resources that are available following this extensive refurbishment. Our dedicated staff team are bringing Royal Blind’s unrivalled experience of working with visual impairment into this modern learning environment.

“Looking forward, our strategy is to be outward focussed - to support pupils with visual impairments in mainstream schools as well as those who attend the Royal Blind School. We are on the way to establishing the Royal Blind Resource Centre, to share our expertise and provide support and training to teachers in mainstream schools that work with visually impaired pupils.”