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Accessibility Statement

 

Website Accessibility Statement

This website is run by Hitchin Girls’ School and this statement applies to https://www.hgs.herts.sch.uk/ 29/01/25. 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 using browser or device settings

  • Zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen

  • Navigate most of the website using a keyboard or speech recognition software

  • Listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

Accessibility Features

  • Responsive Design: Our website is designed to work on various devices and screen sizes, including desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones.

  • Keyboard Navigation: The website is navigable via keyboard to accommodate users who cannot use a mouse.

  • Text Readability: We use clear and legible fonts, sufficient colour contrast, and adjustable text size to enhance readability.

  • Alternative Text: As of January 2025, images and graphics include descriptive alternative text to assist users with visual impairments. We regret that this is not practicable for:

    • the sections of our weekly newsletters that contain third party advertisements

    • past news posts in our news post archive

    • individual photos in photo albums

  • Captioning and Transcripts: Videos embedded in our webpages include captions auto-generated by YouTube where applicable.

  • Form auto-complete: adding validation to forms enables our forms to be auto-completed.

  • Where we use Google Forms, we follow best practice guidance to maximise accessibility.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

School exemption

Secondary schools are partially exempt from the accessibility requirements for public sector websites. This exemption does not extend to content that people need in order to use the school’s services (such as a Free School Meal application form if one was in use on the website), and an accessibility statement is still required.

Due to this partial exemption, Hitchin Girls’ School believes it is currently meeting the government’s requirements on accessibility, but the school aims to continue to improve accessibility in the ways that have been referenced earlier in this statement.

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to ‘the exemptions’ listed below:

  • primary and secondary schools or nurseries - except for the content people need in order to use their services, for example a form that lets you outline school meal preferences.

Non-compliant content

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:

  • Most older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software

  • Embedded Google Maps are not accessible within the site

  • Any forms with bespoke styling on the site may not be accessible.

  • Images: We endeavour to ensure that, where needed, we include alternative text for any images. If any images do not have a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information, we will rectify this if notified. This fails WCAG 2.2 AA success criterion.

  • Video: We endeavour to ensure that, where needed, we include frame titles and captioning for any videos. If any videos do not have a frame title or captions, so people using assistive technology cannot access the information, we will rectify this if notified. This fails WCAG 2.2 AA success criterion.

  • Links: We endeavour to ensure that, where needed, we include appropriate use of links and ensure that links are descriptive. If any links are not descriptive, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information, we will rectify this if notified. This fails WCAG 2.2 AA success criterion.

  • Tables: We endeavour to ensure that, where needed, tables to ensure they have the appropriate headings set. If any tables do not have defined headings, so people using a screen reader or keyboard navigation cannot access the information, we will rectify this if notified. This fails WCAG 2.2 AA success criterion.

  • Brand colours: We endeavour to ensure that, our brand colours meeting the contrast ratio for the corresponding text size. If any text does not meet the contrast ration, so people with visual impairments cannot access the information, we will rectify this if notified. This fails WCAG 2.2 AA success criterion.

Ongoing Efforts

We are continually working to improve the accessibility of our website by:

  • Screen reader compatibility: whilst our website has been built include functionality that works with screen readers, we may need to make some improvements by working with our website provider.

  • User feedback: We will incorporate feedback from users to enhance accessibility.

  • Keeping up-to-date: We will endeavour to keep up to date with evolving accessibility standards and best practices.

Third-Party Content

While we aim to ensure all content on our website is accessible, some third-party materials or linked resources may not fully meet accessibility standards. We encourage you to contact us if you have difficulties accessing external content.

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

Hitchin Girls' School is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

The website is partially exempt from the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard due to the exemption listed above.

Need Assistance?

If you encounter any accessibility barriers or have suggestions to improve your experience, please contact us:

  • Phone: 01462 612300

  • Mailing Address: Hitchin Girls’ School, Highbury Road, Hitchin, Hertfordshire SG4 9RS

When reporting an issue, please include:

  • The webpage or feature you experienced difficulties with

  • Your contact information (optional, if you would like a response)

Commitment to Improvement

Hitchin Girls’ School values diversity and inclusion and is committed to providing an accessible online experience for all members of our community. Your feedback is essential in helping us achieve this goal.

This statement was first prepared on 29 January 2025. It was prepared with support from our website provider Juniper Education.

This statement was last updated on 29 January 2025.

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