Royal National College for the Blind, Hereford
Royal National College for the Blind is a special school for pupils aged 16 to 99 in Hereford. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2024.
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Royal National College for the Blind in detail
Royal National College for the Blind in its own words
In its own words: "RNC has welcomed the introduction of The Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment (CFVI), which has been developed by the University of Birmingham’s Vision Impairment Centre for Teaching and Research (VICTAR) , alongside the RNIB , the Thomas Pocklington Trust, and VIEW ."
Coming up: an open day on Friday 27 November 2026 and an open day on Friday 29 January 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Herefordshire, County of
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Royal National College for the Blind are Barrs Court School (0.5 miles, Outstanding); The Beacon College (0.5 miles, Outstanding); The Brookfield School (1 mile); and Pathway Schools Limited (1.2 miles).
Barrs Court SchoolThe Beacon CollegeThe Brookfield SchoolPathway Schools Limited
Who goes there
Royal National College for the Blind provides for pupils with visual impairment. Royal National College for the Blind is approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014, so parents can ask for it to be named in their child's education, health and care (EHC) plan.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Hereford Rail Station, about 820 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is thePoint4 (adjacent), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Royal National College for the Blind stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 287 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Herefordshire, County of (4), as is usual near a town centre.
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Source: Ofsted, further education and skills inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its March 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
About
The Royal National College for the Blind (RNC) is a co-educational specialist residential college of further education based in the English city of Hereford. Students who attend the college are aged 16 to 25 and blind or partially sighted.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Vision
SEN Provision
Approved
Section 41
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Latest from Royal National College for the Blind
Why hosting an RNC work experience placement benefits everyone
30 Sep 2026
Celebrating diversity on European Day of Languages
28 Sep 2026
Blind football action resumes in Poland
21 Sep 2026
Acoustic shooters triumph at British Open Para Sport Championships in Swansea
16 Sep 2026
Beyond looking - lowering barriers in geography fieldwork for visually impaired students
27 Aug 2026
RNC celebrates success across Level 2 vocational programmes
20 Aug 2026
From Royal National College for the Blind's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Royal National College for the Blind
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Royal National College for the Blind from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Royal National College for the Blind is in Herefordshire, County of; for families living there:
- Herefordshire, County of's school travel policy: School transport policy
- How to apply: Apply for school transport
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 2 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Herefordshire, County of is 2 (the median across 115 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
Area Demand Pressure - Hereford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Hereford
Across Herefordshire, County of council
Places available
1,920
Applications
1,685
Got 1st preference
91.9%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All secondary applications across Herefordshire, County of council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(12)
Special educational needs provision
Royal National College for the Blind provides for pupils with visual impairment.
Royal National College for the Blind is approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014, so parents can ask for it to be named in their child's education, health and care (EHC) plan.
Source: Get Information about Schools (GIAS), Department for Education.
Questions parents ask about Royal National College for the Blind
What is Royal National College for the Blind's Ofsted rating?
Royal National College for the Blind was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2024.
What is the catchment area for Royal National College for the Blind?
No fixed boundary. When Royal National College for the Blind is oversubscribed, Herefordshire, County of allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Does Royal National College for the Blind have specialist SEN provision?
Royal National College for the Blind provides for pupils with visual impairment. Royal National College for the Blind is approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014, so parents can ask for it to be named in their child's education, health and care (EHC) plan.
How do I apply to Royal National College for the Blind?
Apply through Herefordshire, County of's coordinated admissions process, naming Royal National College for the Blind on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Royal National College for the Blind?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 2 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Herefordshire, County of is 2 (the median across 115 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Royal National College for the Blind?
Royal National College for the Blind is at Venns Lane, Hereford, Herefordshire, HR1 1DT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)