1. Our Commitment
School Atlas is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for all users, including people with disabilities. We continually work to improve the user experience for everyone and apply the relevant accessibility standards.
2. Conformance Status
School Atlas is partially conformant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA. Partially conformant means that some parts of the content do not fully conform to the accessibility standard, as noted in the Known Limitations section below.
School Atlas is a private-sector service run by a sole trader and therefore falls outside the scope of the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. We nevertheless align with those standards voluntarily because our users include pupils, parents, and school staff who may rely on assistive technology.
3. Assessment Method
The accessibility of School Atlas has been self-assessed by the development team. We use automated testing tools, manual keyboard testing, and screen reader testing to evaluate conformance. We have not yet undertaken a formal third-party accessibility audit but plan to do so in future.
4. What We Do
- Use semantic HTML throughout the application
- Provide ARIA labels and roles on interactive components
- Ensure sufficient colour contrast ratios in both light and dark themes
- Support keyboard navigation for all core features
- Maintain minimum touch target sizes of 44px for mobile users
- Provide text alternatives for non-text content
- Use responsive design that works across different screen sizes
- Support screen readers through proper heading hierarchy and landmark roles
5. Known Limitations
While we strive for full accessibility, some areas have known limitations. We map each limitation to the WCAG 2.2 success criterion it affects so the gap is transparent:
- Interactive map— the Leaflet-based map relies on pointer interaction for pan and zoom (WCAG 2.1.1 Keyboard and 2.5.1 Pointer Gestures). Mitigation: every school is reachable via the searchable list and postcode search, which are fully keyboard-operable and do not require the map.
- Charts and graphs— admissions trend charts and performance visualisations are supplementary and may not be fully announced by screen readers (WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content). Mitigation: the underlying data is always presented in an accessible table or plain-text summary adjacent to the chart.
- Institution portal— the school management portal is designed to meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA. Some dashboard charts may have limited screen reader support (WCAG 1.1.1, 1.3.1). We provide text alternatives and tabular data where possible.
- PDF extracts from councils— some linked source PDFs (council admissions booklets) originate from local authorities and are not produced by us; they may not meet WCAG 2.2 criteria on our behalf (WCAG 1.3.1, 1.4.5). The structured extracts we display on School Atlas are accessible.
6. Browser and Device Support
School Atlas works best on modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. We support the latest two major versions of each browser. The site is responsive and functions on mobile phones, tablets, and desktop computers.
7. Assistive Technology
School Atlas has been developed with consideration for assistive technologies including:
- Screen readers (VoiceOver, NVDA, JAWS)
- Keyboard-only navigation
- Browser zoom (up to 200%)
- High contrast and dark mode
8. Feedback
We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of School Atlas. If you encounter any accessibility barriers or have suggestions for improvement, please contact us:
- Use the Feedback button on any page, or
- Email: feedback@schoolatlas.co.uk
We aim to respond to accessibility feedback within 5 working days and to fix reported issues as quickly as possible.
9. Enforcement
If you are not satisfied with our response to your accessibility concern, you can contact the Equality Advisory Support Service (EASS).
10. Preparation and Review
- Statement first prepared: 20 March 2026
- Last reviewed: 21 April 2026
- Next scheduled review: 21 October 2026
- Preparation method: internal self-assessment using automated tooling (axe-core, Lighthouse), manual keyboard testing, and spot-checks with VoiceOver and NVDA on representative pages.
We review and update this statement at least every six months and whenever significant functional changes ship. If a formal third-party audit is undertaken, we will publish its findings here.