Making school websites accessible in everyday use

Understand the school's position

UK accessibility obligations need careful scoping. Under the 2018 public sector website and mobile application accessibility regulations, schools and nurseries are partially exempt, but that exemption does not cover content relating to essential online administrative functions. Government guidance gives school meal preferences as an example. Broader disability duties still apply, with different legislation in Northern Ireland. Do not interpret a partial exemption as permission to make the rest of a website unusable.

Current government guidance refers to WCAG 2.2 AA for covered public sector websites and describes accessibility statements for partially exempt organisations. Check the school's circumstances and obtain appropriate advice if the legal position is uncertain. The recommendations below are practical design and publishing checks, not a legal certification.

Start with a complete family task

Choose something visitors need to do: find term dates, understand admissions or submit an enquiry. Test from the starting page through to completion, including any separate service involved. A public page can be accessible while its embedded form or downloadable instructions prevent someone from finishing.

Write the steps down and note where help is needed. Include users who rely on a keyboard, screen magnification or a screen reader when practical. An automated scan can identify some problems, but it cannot establish that wording makes sense or that a task is manageable.

Make navigation predictable

Use meaningful page titles and a logical heading structure. A heading should describe the material beneath it, rather than simply look large. Provide a way to skip repeated navigation and make keyboard focus clearly visible.

Menus should open and close without requiring a mouse. Test a mobile menu using a keyboard, then check whether focus remains in a sensible place after closing it. Avoid interactions that depend only on hovering, dragging or distinguishing one colour from another. The navigation guide provides a task-based structure.

Write usable links and instructions

A link labelled "Read the admissions policy" communicates more than "click here". Mention the format when opening a file, particularly if it is large or difficult to use on a phone. Explain unusual school terms when they first appear.

Keep instructions near the relevant control. A form field should have a visible label, a clear indication of whether it is required and an understandable error message. If a submission fails, retain information already entered where safe and show how to correct the problem. Do not place important instructions only inside temporary placeholder text.

Make documents part of the audit

Treat a PDF or office document as public content, not as an exception to quality checks. Use proper headings, readable text, meaningful links and appropriate document structure in the original file. Export carefully and check the resulting document rather than assuming the source formatting survived.

Use HTML for frequently needed explanations where feasible. For example, publish term dates and absence reporting instructions as text on the page rather than only as an image or scanned letter. If a document must remain, explain what it contains and offer a workable route for an alternative format.

Check visual and media choices

Test contrast for text, buttons and focus indicators. Enlarge text and zoom the page to see whether information disappears or controls overlap. A wide table should remain understandable on a small screen; give it clear headers and consider a simpler presentation.

Use image descriptions that communicate the relevant meaning. Decorative images can be ignored by assistive technology rather than receiving unnecessary descriptions. Provide suitable alternatives for meaningful audio and video. Avoid putting essential dates, telephone numbers or instructions only inside promotional artwork.

Keep an evidence-based improvement list

For each issue, record the affected task, the barrier, the planned fix and the person responsible. Prioritise barriers that prevent essential actions. Test the correction with the same steps that revealed the issue.

An accessibility statement should reflect the real position and explain how someone can request help or report a problem. Avoid claiming complete compliance merely because a software checker gives a high score. A useful statement is specific, maintained and connected to a process that responds.

Build accessibility into publishing

Provide editors with a short checklist covering headings, descriptive links, image purpose, document quality and mobile preview. Give new staff practice using a real page before they publish independently. Include accessibility expectations in procurement and acceptance testing so responsibility does not fall solely on the person uploading content.

Review essential journeys after template changes, new forms and large content updates. Small checks throughout the year are easier to manage than discovering a widespread problem just before a major announcement.