Priestley Smith School Review 2026: Specialist Visual Impairment School in Birmingham

On the Perry Beeches Campus on Beeches Road in Great Barr, the detail that defines Priestley Smith School is not a single building or badge, but the way access is engineered into the day: from on-site reprographics that can turn learning materials into Braille and tactile formats, to specialist technology support that keeps the right kit working when a device fails at the wrong moment.

This is a state special school for boys and girls aged 2 to 19 in Birmingham, West Midlands, with a published capacity of 90. It is a specialist setting for children and young people whose primary need is a visual impairment, and it runs all the way from nursery through to sixth form.

The most recent Ofsted inspection rated the school Outstanding. For families, the real question is fit: whether your child needs a setting where Braille, mobility and independence skills sit alongside the National Curriculum, and where additional needs are understood rather than treated as an exception.

Priestley Smith sits firmly in the world of specialist education, yet it is not insular. The school hosts mobility, reprographics and visual impairment technology services, and it also describes an outreach role that supports other schools and families. That matters because it signals a school used to looking beyond its own classrooms, and to working in partnership with professionals and parents.

A Rights Respecting Schools approach is part of the picture too, with the school describing itself as a Unicef UK Silver Rights Aware school. In a setting where pupils may need adults to adapt the world around them, the emphasis on children’s rights can land as something practical: being listened to, being taught to self-advocate, and having clear expectations around respect and relationships.

The intake is tightly defined by need rather than postcode. All pupils have significant visual impairments, and the school says that around two thirds also have additional needs, including social and emotional needs, moderate learning difficulties and medical needs. In a small school, that mix can bring a calm, purposeful feel for pupils who benefit from consistency, while still demanding thoughtful, individual planning from staff.

We do not publish results data for special schools. Progress is measured against individual Education, Health and Care Plan targets, built around what a child can do now and what meaningful next steps look like for them.

At Priestley Smith, the strongest indicators are not headline percentages, but the way specialist skills are explicitly taught and revisited. Early reading is built carefully, including specialist teaching for Braille where that is the appropriate route. The curriculum is described as broad and ambitious, with learning broken into manageable steps and checked so pupils can remember what they have been taught, not simply complete a task once.

For older pupils, “achievement” often means leaving with the confidence and practical competence to manage the wider world: accessing qualifications where appropriate, yes, but also being ready for travel, study, work and community life with the right tools and strategies.

Access is designed, not improvised

A school for visually impaired pupils lives or dies by the quality of its adaptations. Here, support is not just a classroom-level tweak. The school describes specialist reprographics that can produce Braille (including Grade 1 and Grade 2), modified large print, and tactile diagrams with supporting descriptions. It also describes a purpose-built base on site, with specialist software and equipment used to produce these resources. For pupils, that can be the difference between “doing a lesson” and actually owning the ideas inside it.

The technology side is treated with similar seriousness. The school describes a Specialist VI Technical Service supporting vision impairment-related information technology and electronics, including Braille systems and iPad configuration, with a workshop base on site where equipment can be tested and repaired. For families, that means fewer lost learning days when something breaks, and better continuity for pupils who rely on a particular setup.

The specialist VI curriculum

Alongside the adapted mainstream curriculum, the school aligns itself with the Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment (CFVI). It also describes teaching the CFVI through VIPS lessons (Vision Impaired at Priestley Smith) on a Wednesday afternoon. That kind of timetabled specialist curriculum matters because it makes independence skills teachable and trackable, rather than leaving them to chance.

Habilitation is central to that independence strand. The school describes habilitation as covering mobility, independence and life skills, with training that can include moving around school safely, learning routes in the community, and building day-to-day competence such as handling money and using phones and apps. For a visually impaired young person, those are not “nice extras”. They are foundational.

Priestley Smith is an all-through setting in everything but name, and that shapes the rhythm of transitions. Children can start in nursery and move through primary and secondary without the cliff-edge change that some families experience at 11. For pupils with a visual impairment, familiarity can be a strength: the same specialist approaches, the same language of independence, and staff who understand the pupil’s access needs.

Post-16 is framed around preparation for adulthood rather than a single academic route. The school describes a Preparation for Adulthood programme running from nursery through to sixth form, and careers education is positioned as something that begins early and becomes more practical over time. Work experience and community visits sit naturally within that story, because independent living is not theoretical. It is rehearsed, refined, and then generalised beyond school.

For families, the “next step” question is often about the handover: how clearly a pupil’s access arrangements and strategies are explained to a college or training provider, and how well the young person can advocate for what they need. A setting that explicitly teaches Braille, mobility and technology use is also teaching the building blocks of that advocacy.

Routes and criteria

Admissions are not a standard Reception or Year 7 application. The school describes entry as a conversation between families, the school and the local authority, with an Education, Health and Care Plan in the centre. The key criterion is that the child’s primary need is a visual impairment, and placement also depends on whether the local authority agrees that a special school is appropriate and will fund it.

The pathway described is clear: start with your local authority Special Educational Needs and Disabilities team, arrange a visit, ask the local authority to consult with the school, and then wait for the formal decision from the local authority. The school also describes checking referrals against age, needs and resourcing, and it notes that children who are, or have been, looked after are treated as a priority.

If you are comparing specialist settings across Birmingham and nearby authorities, it is worth using FindMySchool’s shortlist tools to keep your notes, questions and key documents organised for each option. EHCP consultations move quickly once they start, and clarity helps.

Timeline and practicalities

Unlike mainstream admissions, timings can be individual. Places may open as children move phase, move area, or change placement, and families are often planning around annual reviews and key transition points. The most effective approach is usually to think in terms of readiness: what needs to be in place for your child to start well, including therapies, travel arrangements, and the right access technology.

School has to feel safe before it can feel ambitious. Here, the pastoral picture is closely tied to inclusion: pupils being understood, routines being predictable, and adults noticing the small signs that a pupil is struggling. A Rights Respecting ethos can support that day-to-day culture, because it encourages a shared language around respect, dignity and being heard.

PSHE is not treated as a bolt-on. Pupils are taught about safe and unsafe relationships, consent, and staying safe online and offline, which matters for visually impaired young people who may be more reliant on adults and peers in unfamiliar environments. Independence, done well, is never reckless. It is planned.

Therapy and specialist support

Support extends beyond form tutors and class teams. The school describes a multi-disciplinary approach that can include habilitation, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, specialist nursing and community paediatrician support. Instrumental lessons and Braille teaching also sit within this wider support picture, because confidence often grows when pupils can communicate, access learning smoothly, and take part fully in school life.

For families, the reassuring point is integration. When habilitation and assistive technology are embedded, independence skills are not something a pupil does “when there is time”. They become part of who the pupil is becoming.

Enrichment and adventure

A specialist school can sometimes narrow a pupil’s world without meaning to. Priestley Smith pushes against that, using enrichment as a route into confidence. Swimming and adventurous activities such as rock climbing, abseiling, den building and cave crawling have been part of the school’s enrichment story. The value is not thrill-seeking. It is competence: following instructions, managing risk, trusting a team, and learning that “I can” is a skill as much as a feeling.

Community visits add another layer. When pupils practise using assistive technology to identify products during a trip to a local supermarket, they are not just doing a life-skills exercise. They are rehearsing adulthood, with the right supports in place.

Music, events and belonging

Music and performance can be a powerful equaliser in a visually impaired setting, and instrumental lessons are part of the offer described. The school calendar also shows the kinds of communal moments that stitch a small school together: a Christmas Fair, seasonal performances, and secondary events such as a German market sit alongside transition days, activities weeks and residential experiences.

Those events matter because they create shared reference points. For pupils who work hard at access every day, school should also offer joy, pride and belonging.

Transport & parking

The school day runs from 8:55am to 3:20pm. In a specialist setting serving a wide area, travel is often the biggest daily variable, and many pupils will be using organised transport such as taxis or minibuses, with some older pupils travelling more independently as their skills develop.

Because journeys can be a deciding factor, families should plan early around travel time, therapies, and the end-of-day logistics that come with clubs or appointments. FindMySchool’s map tools can help you sanity-check the practicalities when you are weighing up more than one specialist option across Birmingham and neighbouring authorities.

The school day

The published timetable outlines a structured day with clear blocks for learning and breaks across primary and secondary. For pupils, that predictability can be calming. For parents, it helps with planning: knowing when the day starts and ends, and how the rhythm of learning is likely to feel for a child who benefits from routine.

Admissions pathway: Entry depends on an Education, Health and Care Plan and local authority agreement. The limiting factor is often the consultation process and resourcing, rather than a simple application form. Families usually do best when they start early and keep paperwork organised.

Primary need: This is a specialist school for pupils whose primary need is a visual impairment. If a child’s main need sits elsewhere, even if they also have a visual difficulty, the fit may not be right.

Travel and stamina: Specialist placements can mean longer journeys. That can be manageable, but it does add a layer to the day, particularly for younger children or pupils with medical needs.

Independence can feel stretching: Mobility training, independent living skills and self-advocacy are core strengths here. For some pupils, that steady push towards independence is exactly what they need. Others may need a gentler pace and a carefully phased plan.

Priestley Smith School is a focused, specialist setting that builds access into the fabric of school life, from Braille and tactile resources to habilitation and assistive technology. The depth of expertise around visual impairment is the point, and the school’s all-through age range gives families continuity when continuity matters.

Best suited to children and young people with a primary visual impairment, including those with additional needs, whose families want specialist teaching, practical independence training, and a clear route from early years to preparation for adulthood. The challenge is securing the right placement through the local authority, then aligning transport, therapies and transition planning so the start feels settled rather than rushed.