Pinch-to-zoom is switched off on Android phones
The hosting page tells the browser not to allow zoom. Android browsers obey it; iPhones ignore it.
Found · 1.4.4 Resize text · Ends when the record moves to our own address.
Accessibility
Accessibility statement
Everyone who uses The Schools Record should be able to read every figure, follow every comparison and check every source. This statement says how close the site is to that, which problems we know about, and how to tell us about anything else.
It applies to theschoolsrecord.co.uk and, until that address takes over, to the earlier address, where the record is shown inside a third-party hosting page. Last reviewed .
How accessible this site is
We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2 at level AA. On the record’s own pages you should be able to:
- skip straight to the content, and reach everything with a keyboard, with a clear focus outline;
- read every chart as a table of the exact values and their sources, placed directly below it;
- use either the light or the dark theme, both checked for text contrast;
- read pages at 320 pixels wide, or zoomed to 400%, without the page scrolling sideways (wide tables scroll inside their own box);
- stop most movement by setting your device to reduce motion; nothing plays automatically for long, except the phone header emblem listed below;
- start reading at once: the opening emblem appears only when a visit starts on the home page, never if your device is set to reduce motion, and any tap, click, scroll or key press dismisses it straight away (the tap or click that dismisses it does not also follow a link beneath it);
- open any figure on its own page, as plain text with its sources.
Compliance status
This site is partially compliant with WCAG 2.2 AA, because of the problems listed below. Some are caused by the hosting page of the earlier address and end when the record moves to theschoolsrecord.co.uk; the rest are in our own pages and we are fixing them.
Problems we know about
Only on the earlier address
The first Tab stop is invisible
The first one or two presses of Tab land on the hosting page’s containers, which show no focus outline, before reaching “Skip to content”.
Found · 2.4.7 Focus visible · Ends when the record moves to our own address.
The page header and footer are not announced as landmarks
The hosting page places the whole record inside its own section, so screen readers do not find a banner or content-information landmark.
Found · 1.3.1 Info and relationships · Ends when the record moves to our own address.
A floating host badge covers content on phones
The host’s badge sits over the bottom corner of every screen, including the evidence panel, and its link has no accessible name.
Found · 2.4.11 Focus not obscured; 4.1.2 Name, role, value · Ends when the record moves to our own address.
Only an inner area scrolls, and pages are slow to appear
On an iPhone, tapping the status bar does not return to the top and the scroll position is lost on reload. On a slow phone connection a page can take over 20 seconds to appear.
Found · Not a WCAG failure; it makes the site harder to use · Ends when the record moves to our own address.
Everywhere on the site
Tap areas of neighbouring chart points overlap on phones
Where years sit close together, touching one point can open its neighbour. The table below each chart has one link per year.
Found · 2.5.8 Target size (minimum) · Fix planned; no date set yet.
Some small links and options sit close to other controls
On the comparison page the “Full methodology” link is 18 pixels tall and crowded by the controls around it; on the Research questions page at 320 pixels wide, the filter options are 18 pixels wide.
Found · 2.5.8 Target size (minimum) · Fix planned; no date set yet.
Row labels scroll out of view in wide tables on phones
Results tables scroll sideways inside their box, and the first column does not stay in place.
Found · Not a WCAG failure; it makes the site harder to use · Fix planned; no date set yet.
The emblem moves for more than five seconds on phones
When you open the home page on a phone, the emblem in the header animates for about six seconds, and there is no control to stop it. It stays still straight after the opening emblem, and if your device is set to reduce motion it only fades in, in under a second.
Found · 2.2.2 Pause, stop, hide · Under review; no date set yet.
The Eton 3D explorer is only partly accessible
It works with a keyboard (W A S D or the arrow keys to walk, Escape to release the controls) and has a simpler view for browsers without hardware graphics. It does not yet respond to the reduce-motion setting and has not been tested with a screen reader. Nothing in it is needed to use the record: Eton’s results, sources and profile are all on ordinary pages.
Found · Optional extra · Under review; no date set yet.
If you cannot use part of the site
- Every chart has a table of the exact values and sources below it.
- A comparison, or a claim you test, can be downloaded as a CSV file of the figures it uses, which opens in any spreadsheet program.
- Every figure has its own page at a permanent address, with its values, what they count and where they were published.
- If you need information in another format, write to hello@theschoolsrecord.co.uk and say what you need. We reply within 10 working days.
Reporting a problem
If you find a problem that is not listed here, or one listed here stops you doing something, write to hello@theschoolsrecord.co.uk. Tell us the page address and what happened. We reply within 10 working days.
If you are not happy with our reply, the Equality Advisory and Support Service can advise you.
How we tested this site
So far, with automated checks only. On 22 September 2026 scripted browser checks covered the main page types at phone and desktop widths in both themes: keyboard order and focus, headings and landmarks, the names of links, buttons and form fields, the contrast of all visible text, reflow at 320 pixels, text spacing and tap-target sizes. An earlier scripted check on 18 September 2026 covered 16 pages at four widths in both themes for sideways scrolling, clipped text, contrast and tap-target sizes. On 23 September 2026 the checks were repeated on 13 page types at phone and desktop widths in both themes, and the problems they showed to be fixed were taken off this list.
No one has yet tested the site with a screen reader or other assistive technology. We plan to test it with VoiceOver on an iPhone and NVDA on Windows, and will record the results here.
Preparation of this statement
This statement was prepared on and last reviewed on . It is reviewed with every release.