19th century beginnings
InFocus can trace its origins in the Blind Institute founded in 1838 and formerly situated on St David’s Hill in Exeter (now the Exeter Community Centre).
The Institute educated and cared for blind children and adults, providing both an academic curriculum and a trade training component, imparting skills which were thought to be appropriate to the blind, for example piano tuning and basket weaving.
The 20th century school
14 acres was bought off the Topsham Road, near Countess Wear, in 1949. Building began on this land in 1965, and children aged five to sixteen were welcomed to the school in 1966. The school supported a mixture of boarders and day pupils.
Expanding to support young adults
In the mid-1980s the school extended its age and educational range by building a place of further education for students aged 16 plus, effectively a sixth-form college. This innovation proved hugely successful with a number of students going on to university. The West of England School and College quickly became known as “WESC” (and later WESC Foundation for several years from 2012).
The scope of the school and college was further extended by the building of St David’s House (now home to our CQC-registered care home of the same name) in 1991. At the time it was the first establishment in the United Kingdom purpose-built to care for and educate young people with vision impairment and additional, often profound difficulties.
The educational policy of inclusion was first broadcast in the mid-1990s and has been accelerated by successive governments ever since. This has meant that over the years, all of the children and young people we support have additional complex needs (learning, physical or mental difficulties) as well as their visual impairment. In 1992 there were no wheelchairs on the campus, twenty years later there are over fifty.
InFocus:
the vision impairment and
complex needs charity
Fast forward to 2021 and our charity – now known as InFocus – is a national resource for young adults from across the UK who have vision impairment and other complex needs.
We have recently celebrated 180 years of working here in Exeter, and enjoy our close links with the city and surrounding area.
InFocus still offers specialist education in our FE College, together with residential services for young adults (in St David’s House or supported living accommodation) and our thriving adult day centre. We now also offer manage a thriving social enterprise, and seek to share our expertise with others through educational outreach and training events.
WESA – the West of England School Association
The West of England School Association (WESA) was founded by former pupils and staff in 1990 after a service at Exeter Cathedral to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the school’s founding.
Members came from far and wide, and consisted of past pupils, members of staff and friends from both St David’s Hill site, and the Countess Wear school and college (now part of InFocus Charity).