Policy · Organisational
Accessibility statement
Version [0.X] · Owner [WEB / COMMUNICATIONS LEAD] · Last self-assessment [DATE] · Next review [DATE]
Working draft — audit pending
This statement is based on the college’s own assessment of a newly built website. It has not yet been tested by an external auditor, and no audit date has been set. An independent accessibility audit is scheduled for [DATE — NOT YET ARRANGED], and this statement will be rewritten when its findings are known. Until then, treat the claims below as the college’s current understanding rather than a certified position.
Section 1
Our commitment
The college wants everyone to be able to read this website and use it to find what they need — including people who use screen readers, magnification, speech recognition, keyboard-only navigation or switch access, and people with cognitive or reading differences or limited English.
Accessibility is also a legal matter. As an education provider the college has duties under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments and to avoid discriminating against disabled people, and it treats this website as part of that duty rather than as a separate technical project.
The college is not a public sector body, so the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 do not apply to it directly: [CONFIRM — WHETHER ANY PARTNER OR FUNDER REQUIRES COMPLIANCE WITH THESE REGULATIONS]. It chooses to work to the same standard and to publish a statement in the same shape, because that is the useful thing to do.
Section 2
The standard we aim for
This website aims to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at level AA. WCAG is organised around four principles: content must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. In practice that means the things described in section 3.
Conformance is assessed against the site as a whole. Where a page or a component is known not to meet the standard, it is listed in section 4 rather than omitted — a statement that claims full conformance without testing is not worth publishing.
Section 3
What works well
- The site is built from semantic HTML with a single H1 on each page and a logical heading order, so screen-reader users can navigate by headings.
- A skip link allows keyboard users to jump straight to the main content, and every interactive element has a visible focus outline.
- Colour is not used as the only way of conveying information — statuses such as free or fee-based, and required form fields, are labelled in text as well as colour.
- The site works without JavaScript. Accordions use native disclosure elements, and navigation and content are plain links.
- Text can be resized to 200% without loss of content or function, and the layout reflows to a single column on narrow screens.
- Body text and headings have been checked for contrast against their backgrounds, and text is not set over busy photography without a contrast layer.
- Photographs of people are marked as decorative where they carry no information, so screen readers are not read a description of a stock image.
- Tables have header cells marked up properly, and their captions explain what the table contains.
- Chinese-language content is marked with the correct language attribute so that screen readers pronounce it correctly where a Chinese voice is available.
Section 4
What is not fully accessible
These are the known problems. Being specific about them is more useful than a general promise to improve.
| Issue | Impact | Plan and date |
|---|---|---|
| Stock photography is used throughout, and many images are marked as decorative because they do not depict the college. Where an image does carry meaning, it has a text alternative; where it does not, a screen-reader user gets nothing from it. | Some pages are less informative without images, and several photographs do not correspond to the college's actual staff, students or premises. | Replace with genuine photography of the college, with descriptions written at the same time: [DATE]. |
| Some documents the college would like to publish — the prospectus, awarding body handbooks, validation reports, insurer certificates — are currently supplied as PDFs, and some are scanned images of paper. Scanned documents are not searchable, not tagged, and not readable by a screen reader. | Screen-reader users and people reading on small screens cannot use those documents at all. | Convert published PDFs to tagged, accessible PDFs, and replace scanned documents with HTML pages or properly structured digital files. Until then, request an accessible version and it will be provided: [DATE]. |
| Third-party content has not been evaluated. The site currently embeds no maps, video players, chat widgets or social feeds, but if any are added — for example a booking system, a payment provider or an embedded map — their accessibility is outside the college's direct control. | Users may meet an inaccessible step in the middle of an otherwise accessible journey. | Any third-party service must be assessed before it is adopted, and an accessible alternative route (telephone or email) must always remain available: [DATE]. |
| The enquiry form does not submit to a server. It validates your details and then opens your own email app with the message pre-filled, which requires a configured email client. | People who use webmail rather than a desktop mail app, or who cannot use their device's mail client, may be unable to send the enquiry that way — although the same information can be sent by email or telephone. | Connect a properly accessible form service, or state the email and telephone alternatives more prominently: [DATE]. |
| Long policy documents are published as single, lengthy HTML pages. They are structured with headings and a contents list, but no easy-read or summary version exists. | Readers with cognitive differences or limited English may find them hard to use. | Publish plain-English summaries alongside the full text: first documents by [DATE]. |
| Wide data tables scroll horizontally on small screens instead of reflowing into stacked lists. | On a phone, some tables require horizontal scrolling, which is difficult with magnification. | Provide a stacked, labelled layout at narrow widths: [DATE]. |
| Audio and video are not yet published on the site. Recorded lectures are planned. | When recordings are published without captions or transcripts, deaf and hard-of-hearing users are excluded. | No recording will be published without captions and a transcript: [DATE]. |
| Small uppercase labels — for example the category labels on news articles and the placeholder markers used during development — may not meet the 4.5:1 contrast ratio required for small text. | Some users with low vision may find these labels hard to read. | A full contrast audit is needed, and the placeholder styling will be removed before launch: [DATE]. |
Section 5
Requesting content in another format
If any part of this website, or any document the college publishes, is not accessible to you, ask us for it in another format. This is free, and you do not have to explain why you need it.
Step 1
Tell us what you need and where
Email enquiries@scmat.org.uk, telephone +44 (0)20 7946 0000, or write to the college office. Give us the page address or the document title, and say which format would help.Step 2
We confirm what we can provide and by when
Available formats include large print, plain text, an easy-read summary, a tagged accessible document, or a printed copy by post. Translations and British Sign Language interpretation are arranged on request: [CONFIRM — WHICH FORMATS AND LANGUAGES THE COLLEGE CAN PROVIDE]. We respond within [XX] working days.Step 3
We provide it at no charge
There is no charge for an accessible version of something the college already publishes. If a request would take longer than [XX] working days to meet, we will tell you why and give you a date.
Section 6
Reporting a problem
If you find something on this website that you cannot use, please tell us. Reports from users are the most reliable information we get, particularly where assistive technology behaves differently from our own testing.
- Email: enquiries@scmat.org.uk with the subject line “Website accessibility”.
- Telephone: +44 (0)20 7946 0000 (Monday–Friday, 09:00–17:30).
- Useful details: the page address, what you were trying to do, what happened, and the browser or assistive technology you were using. You do not need to diagnose the problem — a description is enough.
- What happens next: we acknowledge within [XX] working days, tell you whether we can fix it and when, and give you an alternative way of getting the information in the meantime.
Where a report concerns a student’s ability to take part in teaching or assessment, it is also handled as a request for a reasonable adjustment under the equality, diversity & inclusion policy.
Section 7
If you are not satisfied with our response
If we have not resolved an accessibility problem, or have not replied within the timescale above, you can escalate it:
- Internal escalation: write to the Principal at [PRINCIPAL EMAIL], or use stage 2 of the complaints procedure.
- Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS): a free government-funded service that advises individuals on rights under the Equality Act 2010, including the duty to make reasonable adjustments.
- Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC): the regulator for equality law in England, Wales and Scotland, which publishes guidance on accessibility and can take action in relation to discriminatory practice.
- Students: where the issue affects your studies, the awarding body or the Office of the Independent Adjudicator route described in the complaints procedure may also be available: [CONFIRM APPLICABILITY].
Section 8
Technical information about this website
This website is a static site: the pages are pre-built and served as plain HTML and CSS. It sets no tracking cookies, uses no analytics, and does not require JavaScript for reading content or moving between pages. It is designed to work in current versions of the major browsers, and to remain readable in older ones.
Testing carried out so far has been internal: keyboard-only navigation, screen-reader checks with [ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY USED], browser testing in [BROWSERS], and contrast checking of body text. It has not yet been tested by disabled users or by an external auditor, which is the gap this statement is honest about. That testing is scheduled for [DATE — NOT YET ARRANGED].
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Tell us if something does not work
Accessibility problems are usually quick to fix once we know about them. If you cannot use part of this site, or need a document in another format, contact the college office.