Accessibility statement

This accessibility statement applies to the Eligibility Checking System website.

This website is run by the Department for Education. 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:

  • when you change the size of the browser window the tables and input fields do not work in a good, responsive way
  • you can modify text size, but this causes the menu to overlap with the main content of the page
  • most older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software
  • some of our online forms are difficult to navigate using just a keyboard
  • you cannot easily skip to the main content when using a screen reader
  • some users may experience issues when accessing reports on the reports page. We recommend downloading these as a .xlsx format

Feedback and contact information

If you experience issues when using the website or need information in a different format, contact us at ECS.ADMIN@education.gov.uk , and tell us:

  • the web address (URL) of the content
  • name and email address
  • if required, the format you need, for example, audio CD, braille, BSL or large print, accessible PDF

We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 2 working 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, please email the DfE ECS Service Desk.

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

The Department for Education (DfE) is committed to making its website(s) accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

This website is compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

To improve accessibility for users of this website, we made improvements in August 2022. These improvements resolved Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard non-compliances identified during the last test of the website.

  • improved colour contrast
  • improvements to how links are shown/read out
  • updated Welsh language translation on login and user detail pages
  • alternative text for images
  • updated documents page
  • addition of ‘skip to main content’ link
  • improvements to form accessibility:
    • validation suggestions
    • errors are clearly marked
    • user input is labelled
    • clearer instructions

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 19th August 2022.

This website was last tested on 19th October 2020. The test was carried out by the Department for Education.