Website accessibility
A website that disabled people can use. As public sector websites, school and trust sites must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust, and should meet the WCAG 2.2 AA standard.
Check this on my websiteWho it applies to
- Published on
- School and trust websites
- School type
- Academies and maintained schools
- School stage
- All stages, from early years to sixth form
- Does not apply to
- No school types are excluded
When is it due?
- Renewal
- No fixed date
The official sources set no renewal date. Keep it accurate whenever it changes.
What's needed
Publish pages that pass an automated WCAG 2.2 AA check by fixing serious and critical issues: colour contrast, missing image alt text, form labels and heading order.
What it must contain
2 parts- Makes the website perceivable, operable, understandable and robustMust
- Meets the WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standardShould
What the official sources say
Set out in 2 official sources:
Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/952)
6 Subject to regulation 7, public sector bodies must comply with the accessibility requirement.
Must§ SI 2018/952 reg 6 (definition of 'accessibility requirement' in reg 3; application dates in reg 5)
9 A website or mobile application of a public sector body will be presumed to be in conformity with the accessibility requirement to the extent that the website or mobile application conforms to Level A and AA Success Criteria as set out in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines recommended by the World Wide Web Consortium, as amended from time to time.
Expected§ SI 2018/952 reg 9 (as substituted by SI 2022/1097 reg 4)
Show 2 more from this source
4 If, following the assessment, a public sector body determines that compliance with the accessibility requirement would impose a disproportionate burden, it must— a explain in its accessibility statement the parts of the accessibility requirement that could not be complied with; and b where appropriate, provide accessible alternatives to documents held by that public sector body that are not available on their website or mobile application.
Must§ SI 2018/952 reg 7(4)
4 The accessibility statement must include— a an explanation of those parts of the content that are not accessible and the reasons why; b where appropriate, a description of any accessible alternatives provided; c a description of, and a link to, a contact form which enables a person to— i notify the public sector body of any failure of its website or mobile application to comply with the accessibility requirement; and ii request details of the information excluded under regulation 4(2) and regulation 7(4); and d a link to the enforcement procedure set out in Part 5 of these Regulations to which recourse may be had in the event of an unsatisfactory response to the notification or the request.
Must§ SI 2018/952 reg 8(4)(a)-(d)
Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies
The accessibility regulations came into force for public sector bodies on 23 September 2018. They say you must make your website or mobile app more accessible by making it ‘perceivable, operable, understandable and robust’. You need to include and update an accessibility statement on your website.
Must§ GDS guidance, section 'Meeting accessibility requirements'
Your website or mobile app will meet the legal requirements if you: – meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA accessibility standard – although there may be valid legal reasons for not meeting accessibility standards – publish an accessibility statement that explains how accessible your website or mobile app is
Expected§ GDS guidance, section 'Meeting accessibility requirements' (bullet list)
Questions schools ask
Does every school have to publish the website accessibility?
The official sources we check set no requirement for academies. The official sources we check set no requirement for maintained schools.
When does the website accessibility need to be published?
Renewal: No fixed date. The official sources set no renewal date. Keep it accurate whenever it changes.
What must the website accessibility include?
Makes the website perceivable, operable, understandable and robust; Meets the WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standard.
Where does the requirement for the website accessibility come from?
It is set out in Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/952) and Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies.
Changes to the official sources
Dated change notes published by the Department for Education on the sources above.
30 September 2024 · Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies
Section about when GDS is monitoring the new success criteria in WCAG 2.2 and some references to 2018 for accessibility regulations has been removed.
5 October 2023 · Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies
Updated guidance as result of the new success criteria in WCAG 2.2.
22 August 2022 · Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies
We've updated the guidance to reflect responsibility moving to Government Digital Service (GDS) from the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO).
9 July 2021 · Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies
Small updates to change the mobile apps guidance to highlight that the 23 June deadline has passed.
8 June 2021 · Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies
An update to the section: Meeting accessibility requirements to make the mobile app guidance more clear for public sector developed apps. An update to the section: How the regulations are monitored and enforced to cover other legislation including the Equality Act and DDA 1995.
8 April 2021 · Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies
Organisation change: Changes to all Government Digital Service (GDS) references to the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO)
8 earlier changes are listed on the source pages.
We last checked these sources on 21 September 2026.
Is this on your school's website?
We check your site the way an inspector or a parent would find it: page by page, against the official wording of each requirement. If it's there, you get the page and the words we found. If it isn't, you get every place we looked.
Check this one requirement free, or scan your whole site against every requirement.
Official wording that does not apply to schools (1)
2 These Regulations do not apply to the following content of a website or mobile application of a public sector body— a office file formats published before 23rd September 2018, unless such content is needed for active administrative processes relating to the tasks performed by the public sector body; b pre-recorded time-based media published before 23rd September 2020; c live time-based media; d online maps and mapping services, as long as essential information is provided in an accessible digital manner for maps intended for navigational use; e third-party content that is neither funded nor developed by, nor under the control of, the public sector body; f reproductions of items in heritage collections that cannot be made fully accessible because of either— i the incompatibility of the accessibility requirement with either the preservation of the item concerned or the authenticity of the reproduction; or ii the unavailability of automated and cost-efficient solutions that would easily extract the text of manuscripts or other items in heritage collections and transform it into content compatible with the accessibility requirement; g content of extranets and intranets published before 23rd September 2019, until such websites undergo a substantial revision; and h content of websites and mobile applications qualifying as archives.
Official sources last checked 21 September 2026 · register version 1.0.4