Accessibility Statement

Website: www.barnsley.ac.uk
Statement prepared: 11 June 2026
Statement last reviewed: 11 June 2026
Standard assessed against: WCAG 2.2 Level AA
Automated scan: Recite Me Accessibility Checker, 11 June 2026
Compliance status: Partially compliant

1. About this statement

This accessibility statement applies to the Barnsley College website at www.barnsley.ac.uk, including content migrated from Northern College following the institutional merger.

This website is run by Barnsley College. 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)

We have 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. Visit the Abilitynet website.

2. Compliance status

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed in Section 4 of this statement.

Barnsley College is a public sector body in scope for the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. WCAG 2.2 replaced WCAG 2.1 as the assessed standard on 1 October 2024.

Important: The automated scan conducted on 11 June 2026 using the Recite Me Accessibility Checker identified 20 Level A failures and 17 AAA-level contrast findings. Automated scanning identifies a subset of accessibility issues. A full independent audit against WCAG 2.2 AA is planned; this statement will be updated with those findings.

3. Automated scan — confirmed findings (June 2026)

An automated accessibility scan was carried out on 11 June 2026 using the Recite Me Accessibility Checker. The scan covered the barnsley.ac.uk domain against WCAG 2.2 criteria. The results are summarised below.

Scan results: 20 Level A failures • 0 Level AA failures • 17 Level AAA findings

Note on AA result: The scan returned zero Level AA failures. This indicates the site meets WCAG 2.2 AA criteria detectable by automated scanning. However, automated tools identify only approximately 30–40% of accessibility issues. Manual testing against the full WCAG 2.2 AA standard is required to confirm full or partial compliance, and is planned.

Note on 1.4.6 contrast findings: The 17 contrast findings are flagged against 1.4.6 Contrast (Enhanced), which is a Level AAA criterion requiring a 7:1 ratio. This is above the legally required AA standard (4.5:1 under 1.4.3). However, the volume of these findings suggests that some elements may also fail the lower AA threshold. A colour contrast audit against the 4.5:1 standard has been prioritised as part of our remediation plan.

4. Known accessibility issues

4b. AAA contrast findings — noted for review

The scan identified 17 instances of contrast below the Level AAA enhanced standard of 7:1. While AAA conformance is not legally required, the volume of findings indicates a likely broader contrast problem. A full audit against the 4.5:1 AA standard (1.4.3 Contrast Minimum) will be conducted as a priority.

The specific element flagged includes the 'Course Basket' navigation button, where text contrast against the background does not meet the enhanced threshold. This and all similar elements will be reviewed against the mandatory 4.5:1 AA ratio.

4c. Additional issues identified through internal review

The following issues have been identified through internal content and template review. They are included here in the interests of transparency and are being addressed as part of our remediation programme.

4d. PDFs and other documents
Many PDFs linked from this website — including prospectuses, course guides, policy documents, and Northern College legacy materials — are not fully accessible. Issues include:

• Absence of document structure tags (headings, lists, tables)
• Missing or absent alternative text for images within PDFs
• Scanned documents published as image-only PDFs with no text layer
• Form fields within PDFs that cannot be operated using assistive technology

Key publications (including the HE Course Guide and Adult and Part-time Guide) are being prioritised for remediation. Where an accessible version cannot be produced immediately, we will provide an accessible alternative format on request — see Section 5.

4e. Video and audio content
Some video content published on the website does not have accurate captions. Auto-generated captions are present on some content but have not been reviewed for accuracy. Audio descriptions for visual content within videos are not consistently provided. A captioning quality standard will be applied to all new video content from 1 September 2026.

5. Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format — such as accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording, or braille — please contact us:

•       Email: accessibility@barnsley.ac.uk

•       Telephone: 01226 216 123

•       Post: Accessibility Team, Barnsley College, Church Street, Barnsley, S70 2AX

We will consider your request and respond within 5 working days.

6. Reporting problems and enforcement

If you find any accessibility problems not listed on this page, or think we are not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact us using the details in Section 5.

If you are not satisfied with our response, contact the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC):
•    Website: equalityhumanrights.com/en/contact-us
•    Telephone: 0808 800 0082
The EHRC is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. If you are based in Northern Ireland, contact the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI): equalityni.org

7. Technical information

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

An automated scan was conducted on 11 June 2026 using the Recite Me Accessibility Checker, covering WCAG 2.2 success criteria. A full, proportionate audit using specialist tools is planned for 1 August 2026. This statement will be updated with the findings of that audit.

The Recite Me Assistive Toolbar is installed on the website to provide users with a range of accessibility support tools, including screen reading, text resizing, translation and dyslexia support.

8. Content not within scope / disproportionate burden

Content outside scope
The following content is outside the scope of the regulations:

• Third-party content not funded, developed, or under the control of Barnsley College — including embedded social media feeds, third-party booking and application portals (including UCAS and the apprenticeship service)
• Archived content not actively maintained, not updated since September 2020, and not needed for active administrative processes
• Live video streams

Disproportionate burden
We have not currently made a formal claim of disproportionate burden for any content. This will be kept under review, particularly in relation to the volume of legacy PDF documents inherited through the Northern College merger. If an assessment is completed, details will be published here.

9. Preparation of this statement

This statement was prepared on 11 June 2026 by Barnsley College's Marketing, PR and Communications team. It is based on an automated accessibility scan of www.barnsley.ac.uk carried out on the same date using the Recite Me Accessibility Checker (running 396 compliance scans against WCAG 2.2 criteria), supplemented by internal content review.

Automated scanning identifies a subset of accessibility issues only. A full independent audit against the WCAG 2.2 AA standard, covering a representative sample of page templates and user journeys, is planned for [insert target quarter]. This statement will be updated to reflect the findings.

This statement will be reviewed and updated at least annually, and whenever significant changes are made to the website.

10. Remediation roadmap

The table below summarises our planned remediation work, prioritised by severity. Dates are targets and will be updated as work progresses.

Barnsley College | Accessibility Statement | Version 2.0 (incorporating Recite Me scan data) | 11 June 2026 | Marketing, PR and Communications