Accessibility statement (API version)

Introduction

This accessibility statement applies to the website at the address below, which is owned and operated by Oak National Academy Limited (“Oak”). We refer to this as “the website”:

https://open-api.thenational.academy/

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;
• zoom in up to 400% 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 have also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.

There are many options for you to customise your web browser and device to help you navigate this (and other) websites more easily. AbilityNet has helpful advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible this website is

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

• Missing labels: Some buttons, links and form controls lack appropriate accessible names, impacting screen reader users.
• Structural markup: Pages do not identify where the main content begins, making it harder for screen reader users to move around a page.
• Tables: Column headings in the Endpoint Responses tables on the Playground page are not linked to the values beneath them, so screen reader users hear values without knowing what they refer to.
• Status messages and updates: Changes made by the "Select all" controls on the bulk download page, and form error messages, are not announced to screen reader users.
• Focus management: Keyboard focus on the Playground page can move out of an open dialog to content behind it, and it is not always clear which element is focused.
• Navigation: There is no "Skip to main content" link, most pages share the same browser title, and the current page is not announced when browsing navigation menus, so it is hard to tell where you are.
• Headings and link text: The heading on the Playground page does not describe the purpose of the page, and two ‘Home’ links in the site-wide footer lead to different places.
• Links that open in a new tab: Users are not always warned before a link opens in a new tab.
• Colour contrast: Some interface elements are hard to see against their background.
• Zoom and reflow: When the page is zoomed in, some content is cut off or requires scrolling sideways to reach.

Feedback and contact information

We welcome your feedback and your understanding, particularly if you are experiencing a frustrating problem with accessing parts of our website, including our lessons. We are keen to offer a service that supports as wide a set of needs as possible.

If you need information on this website in a different format, like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:

• email [email protected]
• contact us via the ‘Send us an email’ link in the footer of the website, https://open-api.thenational.academy/

Please also contact us if you find any problems which are not listed on this page or think we are not meeting accessibility requirements.

Enforcement procedure

We will endeavour to respond to your feedback, including any complaints, you provide to us, using the contact information above, within 15 working days of receipt. It may not be possible to fully respond to you, at that stage, if further investigations are required. If this is the case, we will let you know and tell you what we are doing to deal with the issue(s) you have raised and when you can expect a full reply.

When we respond to you, we will inform you how we investigated the issues raised by you. We will always acknowledge where we can improve; equally, if we do not agree with you, we will let you know why.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing 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

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

Compliance status

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exceptions listed below.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons:

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

We are aware of the following areas of non-compliance and have planned development work to address these.

The following issues fail WCAG criterion 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (A):

• On the OpenAPI Playground, the Endpoint Responses table uses <td> for its column headers, so cell values are announced without their column context;
• Links that open in a new tab carry a visual external link icon that is not communicated to assistive technologies;
• In the primary navigation, the current page is indicated visually but not programmatically;
• Pages do not include a <main> element, so there is no main landmark identifying where the primary content begins.

The following issues fail WCAG criterion 4.1.2 Name Role Value (A):

• On the OpenAPI Playground, the visible "Servers" text sits outside the <label>, so the combobox announces no name;
• The "Documentation topics" dropdown, which appears on mobile or at higher zoom, announces neither its name nor its expanded or collapsed state;
• Expandable operation buttons on the OpenAPI Playground are announced identically as "Expand operation button", with no indication of which endpoint each one controls.

The following issues fail WCAG criterion 4.1.3 Status Messages (AA):

• On the Bulk downloads page, the "Select all primary" and "Select all secondary" controls change many checkboxes at once without announcing the updated selection;
• In the footer mailing list form, the inline validation error is not announced when it appears or when focus returns to the field.

Remaining individual issues found:

• Several interactive elements, including the Oak logo links in the header and footer, have no accessible name and are announced only as "link" or "button". This fails WCAG success criterion: 1.1.1 Non-text Content (A);
• On the Documentation and endpoint pages, content does not reflow at 400% zoom, forcing horizontal scrolling and pushing some controls off screen. This fails WCAG success criterion: 1.4.10 Reflow (AA);
• No page provides a "Skip to main content" link. This fails WCAG success criterion: 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks (A);
• Most pages share the generic title "Oak OpenAPI - Oak National Academy", so pages cannot be distinguished. This fails WCAG success criterion: 2.4.2 Page Titled (A);
• The "Available authorizations" dialog does not trap keyboard focus, letting users tab to obscured content behind it. This fails WCAG success criterion: 2.4.3 Focus Order (A);
• The main heading on the OpenAPI Playground is a product name and version string that does not describe the page's purpose or match the link users arrive from. This fails WCAG success criterion: 2.4.6 Headings and Labels (AA);
• Focus indicators are missing or too faint across several pages, making it hard for keyboard users to track their position. This fails WCAG success criterion: 2.4.7 Focus Visible (AA);
• The Authorize button on the OpenAPI Playground is announced as "Apply credentials", which does not include its visible label. This fails WCAG success criterion: 2.5.3 Label in Name (A);
• The footer contains two links labelled "Home" that lead to different destinations. This fails WCAG success criterion: 3.2.4 Consistent Identification (AA).

Disproportionate burden

We have assessed the cost of fixing the issues listed below. We believe that doing so now would be a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations. We will reassess the continued impact of these issues when the relevant contracts are renewed.

• We use Hubspot to host a support knowledge base at https://support.thenational.academy/. Some pages on this subdomain fail some automated accessibility checks.

What are we doing to improve accessibility

As highlighted above, we have known areas of non-compliance that we plan to resolve (except where we have identified a disproportionate burden).

The website currently undergoes automated quality assurance testing during our deployment process. We also do regular manual quality checks when implementing new features and fixes. We regularly commission an independent accessibility audit on a sample of pages to highlight areas requiring improvement.

We test using devices, screen readers and browsers that are recommended to us by accessibility experts, including those set out in the relevant GOV.UK service manuals.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 31 July 2026. It was last reviewed on 31 July 2026.

Our website was last tested in March 2026 by UserVision, who performed an expert evaluation of selected pages against all level A and AA success criteria of WCAG 2.2. The URLs were selected to ensure that a representative selection of pages, templates, components and key content were tested.