Accessibility statement for register as a childminder service
This accessibility statement is for our register as a childminder digital service.
Applies to England
Accessibility
We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website.
For example, that means you should be able to:
- 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
The majority of the website is fully accessible, including for screen readers and those using assistive technology. This includes the use of text alternatives for links, images and buttons.
However, some parts of this website are not fully accessible:
- you cannot modify the line height or spacing of text
- our health declaration form (a PDF) is not fully accessible to screen reader software
- some other issues regarding text alternatives are present for a small number of links or images
We are in the process of improving these.
What to do if you cannot access parts of this website
If you need information on this website in a different format like large print or braille, you can:
- email publishing@ofsted.gov.uk
- call our helpline on 0300 123 1231
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that are not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements and wish to make a complaint, contact us.
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 Ofsted responds to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person
People who are D/deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment can contact us using a text relay service.
You can contact us by:
- using our online form
- emailing enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk
- phoning 0300 123 1231
Our helpline is open from 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday).
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
Ofsted is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
Images and alternative text
Most images have a clear text alternative. However, some images do not yet have a text alternative, or alternative text is not clear, so the information in them is not fully accessible to people using a screen reader. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content).
We plan to add text alternatives to all images by December 2019, at which point we will update this statement. Whenever we publish new content, we’ll make sure our use of images meets accessibility standards.
PDFs and documents
Our health declaration form (a PDF) does meet accessibility standards. It may not be structured so that it is accessible to a screen reader. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role value).
The health declaration form is essential to providing our services. This PDF needs to be printed to be completed by external bodies such as GPs. By September 2020, we plan to produce an accessible version.
How we tested this website
This website was last tested on 17 September 2018. The test was carried out by the Digital Accessibility Centre.
We tested our childminder registration service.
What we’re doing to improve accessibility
We are currently building this service. It’s in a development stage, when we seek public feedback. As we continue to develop the service, we will improve accessibility. We will adhere to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard for all new and amended content and pages as the service continues to be developed.
This statement was prepared on 20 September 2019.