About Us

Mission Statement

“Inspired by the example of St Vincent, we work together in a safe and caring atmosphere, where a high standard of education and care is provided.

We encourage a sense of achievement, self worth, moral responsibility and mutual respect, honouring all faith traditions and beliefs. Each one of us in our community is special and unique. Gifts and talents are valued and nurtured through all our work.

We are outward looking in our approach to the wider educational and social community and we encourage all our young people to become independent and to integrate fully into society.”

  • St Vincent’s is an ‘outstanding’ school. ‘Achievement is exemplary.’ The curriculum is ‘exemplary and provides pupils with an exceptionally broad range of learning experiences and opportunities.’ Pupil’s personal development is ‘outstanding.’ (Joint OfSTED Education and Care Inspection December 2008, OfSTED Care 2010,2011)
  • Diocesan RE inspectors June 2009 St Vincent’s school is ‘outstanding’
  • We are one of the governments ‘Specialist Schools’, our specialism being Sensory Impairment.
  • The school caters for pupils from Foundation Stage to Post 16, offering day, residential and extended day placements on a weekly basis. Established in 1850, the school has a long and successful tradition of excellence in the education and care of children with a visual impairment.
  • St. Vincent’s School caters for up to 50 pupils, 24 of whom can access a residential placement. A range of extended day opportunities are also available.
  • St. Vincent’s is one of only two non-maintained special schools for Blind and Partially Sighted children in the North of England, it is the only Church school in England for Visually Impaired children and as such we celebrate and value the faith traditions of all pupils.
  • All pupils have a Statement of Special Educational Need. Within recent years the population of pupils has changed and many pupils have additional needs to their Visual Impairment, including, communication difficulties, Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Cerebral Palsy and Hearing Impairment.
  • Pupils are from a wide spectrum of ethnic, socio and economic backgrounds and are drawn from local education authorities from across the country including Wales.
  • The school specialises in providing an all-round education, which aims at maximising academic achievement, personal development and self worth. We do this by providing high quality-learning environments specifically adapted where necessary, to enable all pupils to be included and to achieve as independently as possible.
  • The combination of specialist staff expertise, strong mainstream links and specialist resources support highly effective learning environments for pupils with a wide range of sensory, physical and learning needs.
  • Curriculum provision at St. Vincent’s is broad and balanced and focuses on both the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum and the individual needs of our pupils. Every pupil has an Individual Education Plan and a Care Plan as appropriate at all Key Stages. Highly experienced Learning Support Assistants and Care Staff work closely with pupils and teachers to ensure optimum access across the 24-hour curriculum.
  • In addition to the Core and Foundation curriculum, our pupils access the ‘additional VI curriculum’ that enables them to realise their true potential. This is provided for by the specialist training that all our staff have received in visual impairment.
  • The curriculum is enhanced by complementary working with Specialist Therapists. These include individually programmed sessions in Speech and Language Therapy, Physiotherapy, Educational Psychological support and Music Therapy, as appropriate.
  • The wide academic range sees pupils achieving well at GCSE and other nationally standardised examinations, to those whose progress is determined at P Levels. Attainment on entry is variable, and this is documented in each pupil’s Statement of Special Educational Need.
  • We are an inclusive school, working as a part of a continuum of provision, that both complements and contrasts the services available from local authorities, ensuring that all individual pupils’ needs are met.