Website Accessibility

Introduction

Hedingham School and Sixth Form is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for all users, including people with disabilities. We aim to make our website as accessible as possible, providing a seamless and inclusive experience for every visitor.

This accessibility statement outlines the measures we have taken to improve accessibility, known limitations, and ways for users to report any issues.

Compliance Status

This website aims to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AA, which is the required standard for public sector organisations.

Measures Taken to Improve Accessibility

To enhance the usability and accessibility of the Hedingham School website, we have implemented the following features:

1. Navigation and Usability
  • Keyboard Navigation: The website is fully navigable via keyboard, ensuring users can move between menus, links, and forms without requiring a mouse.
  • Skip to Content: A "skip to main content" link is available at the top of the page to allow users to bypass repetitive navigation elements.
  • Logical Structure: Pages have a consistent and predictable layout, making it easier to navigate.
2. Readability and Visual Design
  • Text Contrast: We use high contrast between text and background to ensure readability.
  • Scalable Text: Users can increase or decrease text size without breaking the site’s layout using browser zoom functions.
  • Legible Fonts: Sans-serif fonts are used for improved readability.
3. Screen Reader Compatibility
  • Alternative Text for Images: All essential images have descriptive alternative text (alt text) so that screen readers can describe them.
  • ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) Landmarks: These are used to improve screen reader navigation.
4. Forms and Interactive Elements
  • Accessible Forms: Input fields include appropriate labels and instructions for screen reader users.
  • Descriptive Links and Buttons: Links provide meaningful context (e.g., "Read More about Admissions" instead of "Click Here").
  • Error Identification: If a user makes a mistake in a form, clear instructions are provided on how to correct it.
5. Multimedia and Documents
  • Captions for Videos: Where videos are included, captions are provided.
  • Accessible PDFs: We aim to provide documents in an accessible format, ensuring that PDFs are tagged properly for screen readers.

Known Accessibility Limitations

While we strive to make our website fully accessible, some parts of the website may not yet be fully compliant:

  • Some older PDFs and documents may not be fully accessible to screen reader users. We are working to replace these with accessible versions.
  • Embedded third-party content (e.g. maps, external resources) may not be fully accessible, but we provide alternative methods where possible.

Reporting Accessibility Issues

If you experience any accessibility barriers on our website or require content in an alternative format, please contact us:

Email: enquiries@hedingham.essex.sch.uk
Phone: 01787 460470
Address: Hedingham School & Sixth Form, Yeldham Road, Sible Hedingham, CO9 3QH


We aim to respond to accessibility feedback within 10 working days and will work to resolve any issues promptly.

Enforcement Procedure

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) for further assistance:
Website: www.equalityadvisoryservice.com
Phone: 0808 800 0082

Review and Updates

This accessibility statement was last reviewed on 10/10/2024 and will be updated regularly to reflect ongoing improvements.