Reading this site with assistive technology

We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2 at level AA across the whole site. The site is operated by a private college and is not subject to the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations, but we have adopted the same standard because it is the right one for a text-heavy site read by busy adults, some of whom use screen readers, magnification or keyboard navigation.

• Every page is served as complete HTML. Nothing you need to read depends on JavaScript, and the contents list on each page is visible without it.
• Text is set at a minimum of 19 pixels on small screens and 20 on large ones, in a serif designed for reading, at a line length of about sixty-five to seventy characters. All sizes are relative and respond to your browser's zoom and text-size settings.
• Body text is near-black on white at a contrast ratio above 20:1. Secondary text is grey at 4.7:1. The single accent colour is used for indicators and one button, never as text.
• Headings are nested in order, each page has one first-level heading, and the sidebar contents list is a navigation landmark linking to the sections it names.
• Links are underlined. Focus is shown by a solid two-pixel outline. The first item on every page is a skip link to the main content.
• Data tables carry captions, header scopes and, on small screens, per-cell labels so that they read correctly when stacked.
• Animation is limited to the reading-progress bar and a chevron, and both are disabled when your system asks for reduced motion.
• The enquiry form has visible labels bound to every field, hint text attached with aria-describedby, and error messages announced to assistive technology when a submission is incomplete.

• The awarding bodies' specifications are linked as PDF documents that we do not control. Some of them are not tagged for accessibility. If you cannot read one, ask us and we will extract the section you need as text.
• Footnote reference links return to the first reference in the text rather than to the one you followed, which can disorient a screen-reader user in a long section. We are working on it.
• Frequently asked questions use the native disclosure element. Some older screen readers do not announce its expanded state.
• Photograph and testimonial slots currently contain descriptive placeholder text rather than images. When images are added they will carry alternative text.

Any page on this site can be supplied as a plain-text document, a large-print PDF or an accessible Word document on request; ask through the enquiry form and allow five working days. For the programmes themselves, reasonable adjustments to teaching and assessment are agreed with your tutor at enrolment and recorded under the awarding body's policy, which covers extra time, alternative formats, assistive software and the scheduling of tutorials.

If any part of this site is difficult or impossible for you to use, use the enquiry form, with the page address, what you were trying to do and the browser or assistive technology you were using. We reply within one working day and fix confirmed problems in the next release. This statement was last reviewed on the date shown above and is checked whenever the site's templates change.