Accessibility statement

We want everyone to be able to use this website, including people who are blind or partially sighted, deaf or hard of hearing, or who have motor, learning or cognitive disabilities.

This statement explains how accessible the website is, what we've done to make it easy to use, and what to do if something doesn't work for you.

Using this website

You should be able to:

• zoom in up to 400% without text spilling off the screen or needing to scroll sideways
• change colours, text size and fonts using your browser or device settings
• get around the whole website using just a keyboard
• listen to the website using a screen reader, such as NVDA, JAWS, Narrator, VoiceOver or TalkBack
• use speech recognition software, such as Dragon or Voice Control, by saying the words you can see on buttons and links
• stop anything from moving, and switch off animations using your device's "reduce motion" setting
• use the website on a phone or tablet, held upright or sideways

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use (opens in a new tab) if you have a disability.

What we've built in

Finding your way around

• A "Skip to main content" link at the top of every page, which appears when you press Tab, so you can jump past the menu.
• Each page is split into clear areas (main menu, main content and footer) that screen readers can jump between.
• Every page has one main heading, with the other headings in order underneath, so you can move around by heading.
• Longer pages have "On this page" links that jump straight to each section.
• The menu shows which page you're on, and screen readers announce it as the "current page".
• Links say where they go. Links that open in a new tab tell you so.
• The menu and footer are the same on every page.

Reading and seeing the page

• Text has strong colour contrast (at least 4.5 to 1), and buttons, boxes and outlines are at least 3 to 1.
• Links in text are underlined, so you don't have to tell them apart by colour.
• We never use colour on its own to show something. For example, error messages are in words as well as red.
• A thick, clear outline shows where you are when you use a keyboard.
• Pages rearrange to fit small screens (down to 320 pixels wide) instead of making you scroll sideways.
• We use plain, friendly language and short sentences.

Pictures, moving content and sound

• Photos have text descriptions for screen-reader users. Decorative icons are hidden from screen readers.
• The slideshow on the home page has a Pause button, stops while your mouse or keyboard is on it, and doesn't move at all if you've switched on "reduce motion" on your device.
• Screen readers announce the slideshow as a carousel ("slide 2 of 7"), and slides that aren't showing are skipped.
• Nothing on the site flashes, and there is no sound or video.
• Text that only makes sense visually, like the big facts on the home page, is read out as a proper sentence instead.

Tapping and clicking

• Buttons are at least 44 pixels tall, and everything you can tap is at least 24 pixels with space around it.
• Answer choices on forms are big, pill-shaped buttons that are easy to tap.
• Everything works with a keyboard (Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter and Space) as well as a mouse or touch.

The application form

• Every box has a visible label, with a hint underneath where it helps. Only optional questions are marked, so you know everything else is needed.
• Questions that might need explaining have a ? button. Press it to show a short help note underneath, and press it again (or Escape) to hide it. It works with a keyboard, touch and screen readers.
• Your phone or browser can fill in your name, email, phone number and address for you.
• Date of birth is three simple boxes (day, month and year) instead of a fiddly calendar.
• If something needs fixing, a box at the top lists every problem, the page jumps to it, and screen readers read it out.
• Each problem is also shown in words next to the box it's about, and that box is marked so screen readers say what's wrong.
• Everything you've typed is kept when there's a problem, so you never have to start again.
• There's no time limit for filling in the form.
• The form goes one step at a time, with a "Next" button at the end of each step and a line showing how many steps you've done. You can open any step whenever you like, or show them all at once. Any step with a problem opens again by itself, so nothing is hidden.
• When you type your postcode, we tell you whether it's in Croydon. The message is read out by screen readers.
• Someone else, like a parent, carer, teacher or youth worker, can fill in the form for you.

The "Can I apply?" checker and questions

• The three-question checker on How to Apply gives its answer straight away, and screen readers read it out. Nothing you choose is sent anywhere.
• The frequently asked questions open and close with a button. An arrow shows if each one is open or closed, and screen readers say "expanded" or "collapsed".

How accessible the site is

We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2 (opens in a new tab) at level AA, the standard most UK websites work to.

From our own testing (see below), we believe the website meets this standard. It hasn't yet been checked by an independent accessibility expert.

Things we know about

• Some features need JavaScript switched on in your browser: the "Can I apply?" checker, the slideshow's Pause button, closing parts of the application form, and the postcode check. Without JavaScript, all the information is still shown and the application form still works.
• Postcode check: this uses a free service called postcodes.io. If it isn't available, you won't see the "in Croydon" message, but you can still answer the question yourself.
• Links to other websites, such as the Charity Commission and Croydon Council, go to sites we don't control, which may not be as accessible.
• Very old browsers, such as Internet Explorer, aren't supported. Please use an up-to-date browser such as Edge, Chrome, Safari or Firefox.

If you find anything else, please tell us.

Report a problem or ask for help

If something on this website doesn't work for you, or you need information in a different way, please contact us. Tell us the page and what went wrong, and we'll do our best to help.

A parent, carer, teacher or youth worker can also contact us or apply on your behalf.

How we tested the site

We last tested the website on 9 October 2026. We:

• checked every page with the axe accessibility checker, including the application form when it shows errors, with no problems found
• used every page with only a keyboard
• checked the pages at phone, tablet and desktop sizes (from 320 pixels wide), with no sideways scrolling
• checked colour contrast, tap sizes, headings and screen-reader labels

We're also planning to test with real screen readers and on real phones and tablets, and to fix anything we find.

About this statement

This statement was written on 9 October 2026 and last reviewed on 9 October 2026. We'll review it at least once a year, and whenever we make big changes to the website.