This accessibility statement applies to the Essex Schools Infolink website located at schools.essex.gov.uk.
This website is run by Essex County Council. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:
- change colours, contrast levels and fonts
- zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
- navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
- listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)
We've also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
How accessible this website is
We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:
- You cannot skip past repeated content such as navigation as the skip links do not work
- Some keyboard focus is not visually obvious which can mean it could be difficult to identify where you are on the page
- You cannot dismiss the cookie banner easily or use some links that are represented by graphics with the use of assistive technologies
- When zooming in to 400% you cannot access the main menu with a keyboard
- When increasing font-size the breadcrumb trail does not increase in size and some menu items and elements are obscured or overlap each other
- Some homepage text such as the login button, calendar dates and aside headings have low contrast and could be difficult for users with impairments to read
- The graphic links on the homepage include text and do not have suitable alternatives
- There are no landmarks making it difficult for users of assistive technologies to navigate between sections on the page
- The main heading on each page is the same and some pages have two main headings
- The input field for site search has no label
- Abbreviations are used on some pages without an explanation of what they mean
Feedback and contact information
If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:
We'll consider your request and get back to you in 20 days.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We're always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we're not meeting accessibility requirements, contact: email EducationWebTeam@essex.gov.uk
Enforcement procedure
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the 'accessibility regulations'). If you're not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
Technical information about this website's accessibility
Essex County Council is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
Compliance status
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
The location of the keyboard is not always visually obvious, the search field and cookie banner have no focus styles. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.7 (Focus Visible).
We plan to add focus styles to all interactive elements by 1 October 2021.
There are skip links, but they do not work. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.1 (Bypass blocks)
We plan to add working skip links to all repeated content by 1 October 2021
The visible label of the cookie accept button does not match its accessible name. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.5.3 (Label in name)
We plan to ensure that visible labels match accessible names by 1 October 2021
You cannot zoom in to 400% without some content and functionality being lost. This could mean users miss out on important content. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.10 (Reflow)
We plan to improve the responsiveness and reflow of the website by 1 October 2021.
When increasing font-size to 200% not all font-size is increased, some items are obscured and some text is difficult to read. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.4 (Resize text)
We plan to ensure all text can be resized without losing content or functionality by 1 October 2021.
Some text, links and headings have a low contrast ratio making it difficult for users with visual impairments to read. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.3 (Contrast (Minimum))
We plan to ensure all elements have sufficient contrast by 1 October 2021
Some graphics have text in them without an accurate alternative. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.5 (Images of text)
We plan to ensure all graphics are free from text and have accurate alternatives by 1 October 2021
There are some graphics that do not have suitable alternatives. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text content)
We plan to add accurate alternatives to all images and graphics by 1 October 2021. When we publish new images, we will make sure they meet accessibility standards.
There are some parts of this website that are not included in landmarks, so users of assistive technologies may find it difficult to navigate through the website. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and relationships)
We plan to add accurate landmarks to all parts of the website by 1 October 2021.
Headings are the same on every page and some pages have multiple heading tags. This could confuse users as to the purpose of the page. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.6 (Headings and labels)
We plan to ensure all headings are accurate and representative of their content by 1 October 2021.
Some fields have no label making it difficult for the screen reader users to understand the purpose of the input. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.3.2 (Labels or instructions)
We plan to ensure all inputs have accurate labels by 1 October 2021
Some content contains abbreviations without first explaining what the abbreviation means. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 3.1.4 (Abbreviations)
We plan to ensure all abbreviations can be identified by users by 1 October 2021
Content that's not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
PDFs and other documents
Most of our older PDFs and downloadable documents do not meet accessibility standards. However, we plan to ensure that moving forward all PDFs meet WCAG 2.1 Accessibility standards.
The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they're not essential to providing our services.
For documents that are essential to providing our services, such as: -
- Information on how users can access our service
- Forms published in word documents and PDFs
we are developing a strategy to ensure that they are made accessible.
The strategy prioritizes PDFs that are opened/used regularly or have information that is a statutory requirement. We are also developing training and guidance to help all document creators develop accessible documents.
Our plans are to ensure that all essential PDFs meet accessibility regulations by 1 October 2021.
Live Video
We do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 30 September 2020. It was last reviewed on 2 June 2021.
This website was last tested on 30 September 2020. The test was carried out by Essex County Council.
