Discover teaching, research and people across STEM Faculty.
The Open University is committed to making its websites and mobile applications accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
This accessibility statement applies to the STEM Schools website at schools.stem.open.ac.uk.
We want as many people as possible to be able to use our websites and mobile applications, and accessibility is an essential part of our mission. On our Accessibility hub, you’ll find information and guidance about accessibility at The Open University.
To adapt the content to your needs or preferences you should be able to:
AbilityNet also provides advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
On some pages, the “Skip to content” link may not correctly identify or move focus to the main content of the page. This can make it more difficult for keyboard and screen reader users to bypass repeated navigation.
This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.1 (Bypass Blocks).
We are reviewing the skip-link implementation across the STEM Schools website and will correct pages where the target is missing or cannot receive focus.
Some images may not have appropriate alternative text, and some decorative images may not be correctly identified as decorative. This may result in screen reader users either missing information conveyed by an image or hearing unnecessary descriptions of images which do not add meaning to the page.
This does not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).
We are reviewing image alternative text and the way decorative images are marked up across the website.
The structure of some pages may not always represent the intended reading order of the content when styles and visual positioning are removed. This may make some content more difficult to understand for people using assistive technologies.
This may not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.3.2 (Meaningful Sequence).
We are reviewing the semantic HTML and reading order of affected page components.
Some pages may not have sufficiently descriptive or appropriate page titles. This can make it more difficult for users of assistive technologies to identify the purpose of a page or distinguish between multiple open pages.
This may not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.2 (Page Titled).
We are reviewing page titles across the STEM Schools website.
Some links with the same visible link text may lead to different destinations without sufficient context to distinguish their purpose. This may make navigation more difficult, particularly for screen reader users who navigate using a list of links.
This may not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.4 (Link Purpose (In Context)).
We are reviewing link text and contextual information across the website.
Some pages may contain controls or links that repeat functionality already available elsewhere on the same page. Where the same information is entered more than once as part of a process, it may not always be automatically populated or available for selection.
This may not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.3.9 (Accessible Authentication (Enhanced)) or 3.3.7 (Redundant Entry), depending on the affected functionality.
We are reviewing the affected components to determine whether changes are required.
Some animated content may not provide users with an appropriate mechanism to pause, stop or hide movement where required.
This may not meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.2.2 (Pause, Stop, Hide).
We are reviewing animated components and will provide appropriate controls where necessary.
Our automated accessibility testing has also identified areas requiring manual assessment, including:
Automated testing cannot determine conclusively whether all of these represent accessibility failures. We are carrying out manual testing and will update this statement when that work is complete.
Wherever possible we provide transcripts for audio, and captions, audio descriptions and transcripts for video. Pre-recorded time-based media published before 23 September 2020 is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
Adding captions to live video streams is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
Reproductions of items in heritage collections may be exempt where they cannot be made accessible due to the unavailability of cost-effective solutions, or where doing so would negatively affect preservation of the item.
PDFs or other documents that are not essential to providing our services and were published before 23 September 2018 are exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
We aim to ensure that new PDFs and other documents published on STEM Schools meet applicable accessibility standards.
Online maps and mapping services are exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations. Where a map is used to provide essential information, we aim to provide that information in an accessible alternative format.
Third-party content that is not funded, developed by, or under the control of The Open University is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
This statement was prepared on 20 August 2026.
The STEM Schools website was tested in August 2026.
Initial testing was carried out using automated accessibility testing tools against a sample of pages and components on the STEM Schools website.
The initial testing identified potential issues relating to:
These findings are being supplemented by manual accessibility testing. Automated results which require manual assessment are not considered confirmed accessibility failures until they have been reviewed.
Further testing will include:
This statement will be updated as issues are resolved or further accessibility problems are identified.
If you find that a section of the STEM Schools website is not accessible and you cannot access the information you need, please use the Open University Accessibility Feedback Form to request support.
Please provide details of the page and the accessibility problem you encountered so that the issue can be investigated.
You should expect to hear back from us within 5 working days.
The Open University is experienced in meeting accessibility needs for students. Students can also contact their Student Support Team for advice about accessing University information and services.
If you are a student, or someone who has had contact with the University before, and have a complaint about the accessibility of our websites, you can raise a complaint through the University’s complaints and appeals process.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
If you are based in the UK and you are not happy with how we respond to your complaint, you can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
