Accessibility Statement for Leeds Conservatoire
Leeds Conservatoire is committed to making its websites accessible in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
This accessibility statement applies to the Leeds Conservatoire website, its subdomains, and our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) systems. It will also include references, as appropriate, to third-party websites which are used to share or store information on behalf of the conservatoire.
These websites are run by Leeds Conservatoire or our parent company, Luminate Education Group. On occasion, third-party contractors will also support aspects of these websites.
For the convenience of the reader, we have divided the subdomains and third-party sites into two sections: external-facing websites and internal websites.
Websites, subdomains, and third-party websites
External-facing websites:
| Website Name | Description | URL | Run by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leeds Conservatoire | Student recruitment and corporate website | leedsconservatoire.ac.uk | Luminate Education Group, Moriyama Ltd. |
| Student Information | Information for current students | students.leedsconservatoire.ac.uk | Leeds Conservatoire |
| Leeds Conservatoire Systems Portal | Links to key VLE and internal systems | systems.leedsconservatoire.ac.uk | Leeds Conservatoire |
| Zammad knowledge base | How-to guides for students | leedsconservatoire.zammad.com/help | Leeds Conservatoire, Zammad GmbH |
| Panopto (Public) | Hosted public video content | leedsconservatoire.cloud.panopto.eu | Leeds Conservatoire, Panopto cloud Europe |
Internal websites:
| Website Name | Description | URL | Run by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Space | Virtual Learning Environment | space.leedsconservatoire.ac.uk | Leeds Conservatoire |
| Panopto (Internal) | Hosted internal video content | leedsconservatoire.cloud.panopto.eu | Leeds Conservatoire, Panopto cloud Europe |
| Show | ePortfolio creation platform | show.leedsconservatoire.ac.uk | Leeds Conservatoire |
| Life | Student notices and news | life.leedsconservatoire.ac.uk | Leeds Conservatoire, Zammad GmbH |
| KOPAC | Library catalogue | library.leedsconservatoire.ac.uk | Leeds Conservatoire, Open Fifth |
| KOALA | Indicative reading lists and resource lists | leedsconservatoire.info/koala | Leeds Conservatoire, Talis Aspire |
| My Portal | Tribal SITS student record system, e:Vision portal. | sitslivelc.luminate.ac.uk | Luminate Education Group |
| Celcat | Timetable and room booking system | lcmcelcat.lcm.ac.uk | Luminate Education Group |
| Microsoft SharePoint Sites | Intranet sites created on Microsoft SharePoint | leedscitycoll.sharepoint.com | Luminate Education Group, Leeds Conservatoire, Microsoft |
We want as many people as possible to be able to use all our websites. AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.
Compliance Status
Leeds conservatoire’s websites are partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliance(s) or the exemptions listed below.
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reason(s):
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
In most cases our websites meet the accessibility regulations. During our testing we have identified some content which does not meet the success criteria for WCAG 2.2 A & AA standard.
Non-text content (Success Criterion 1.1.1)
Some non-text content is missing alternative text or has not been marked as decorative. On one system—Zammad Knowledge Base—there is no built-in facility to add alt tags to images, but we have found a workaround for this which we are implementing.
Meaningful sequence (Success Criterion 1.3.2)
Occasionally, on our third-party platforms, there are problems with the programmatic reading sequence, like elements which should be excluded from the reading order still being active when a modal window is present.
Orientation (Success Criterion 1.3.4)
Almost all our platforms support portrait or landscape orientation, however we discovered one problem with our Talis Aspire (KOALA) deployment where the homepage does not wrap correctly when a user is logged out.
Colour contrast (Success Criterion 1.4.3 & Success Criterion 1.4.11)
There are some instances of colour contrast below the minimum ratio of 4.5:1 for text, or 3:1 for large text and icons.
Text size and spacing (Success Criterion 1.4.4 & Success Criterion 1.4.12)
There are some specific resources/widgets where the text cannot be resized or have the spacing altered, for example the virtual tour widget.
Reflow(Success Criterion 1.4.10)
Some of our platforms are unable to present information without the need for horizontal scrolling for users who need to make use of enlarged text (400% Zoom).
Keyboard only (Success Criterion 2.1.1)
Some specific user interface components cannot be operated with the keyboard alone.
Bypass blocks (Success Criterion 2.4.1)
The skip link does not work correctly on some pages.
Page titles (Success Criterion 2.4.2)
We have identified some pages with titles which aren’t descriptive enough and have marked this as an area to improve.
Link purpose in context (Success Criterion 2.4.4)
There is one instance were the accessibility tool on our ePortfolio system, Show, has no programmatically determinable link purpose.
Headings and labels (Success Criterion 2.4.6)
There are some rare instances of skipped heading levels and empty headings.
Focus visible (Success Criterion 2.4.7 & Success Criterion 2.4.11)
There are some instances where the keyboard focus is not visible. On platforms like Zammad Knowledge base we have no recourse to add this as it is a third-party system which we only control the content but not the code.
There is one instance of the keyboard focus becoming obscured by an options menu on our Talis Aspire (KOALA) deployment.
Pointer cancellation (Success Criterion 2.5.2)
We found one instance when the down event triggers the control tabs in the session viewer on Panopto. We shall inform Panopto, but we are unable to change this ourselves.
Dragging Movements (Success Criterion 2.5.7)
We found one instance of an operation which can only be performed by a dragging motion, the browser-based video editor for Panopto. It is arguable that dragging is essential to this function. We shall inform Panopto, but we are unable to modify this ourselves.
Interface component name, role, and value (Success Criterion 4.1.2)
Some user interface components cannot be programmatically determined.
Status Messages (Success Criterion 4.1.3)
The student information website is missing some status messages, for example “no results found” when returning no search results.
Disproportionate burden
Time-based media
Due to the volume of time-based media which is recorded and shared on our platforms (9000+ minutes of lecture capture per week) we cannot provide human-authored captions for all prerecorded audio and synchronised time-based media. Automatically machine generated captions are available on all our internally hosted time-based media, but this not deemed sufficient to meet the success criteria.
We cannot always provide audio descriptions (AD) of visual information in video content, due to the volume of time-based media which is recorded and shared on our platforms and the amount of labour resource this would entail. We do endeavour to ensure AD is available, when possible, particularly on resources which are most relevant to users with disabilities. When possible, a media alternative like a downloadable transcript will be made available.
Client Deigned Content
Some parts of our websites rely heavily of user agent generated content. Due to the amount of content shared, we cannot guarantee that all content is fully accessible. All our user agents have access to accessibility training and can ask for support in making their content more accessible. If you access some user agent content – for example presentation slides shared from a lecture – and they do not meet your accessibility needs, please notify us.
Celcat
Our room booking and timetable management system (Celcat) is an outlier compared to the rest of our systems, as it failed a much greater number of the WCAG 2.2 success criteria compared to the other websites and systems. It is very difficult to use for users who: rely on keyboard operation, rely on a screen reader, or have a cognitive impairment. We have measures to mitigate this, all users can view their timetable via a more accessible plugin on our Moodle VLE (Space), and users who are unable to use the room booker due to an accessibility requirement can make bookings via email.
As this software is developed by a third-party supplier, we are limited in measures we can take internally to improve the accessibility of Celcat. We will explore options we can implement internally and will report issues to the software’s developer.
Celcat is also majorly integrated into our operations, managing not only teaching staff and student timetables, but room bookings, and registers.
Moving to a new, more accessible, system is a major change project; one we will explore. But due to the time to deliver, impact of implementing, and potential cost of a new solution, changing from Celcat hastily is a disproportionate burden to the organisation.
The content is not within scope of these regulations
Live time-based media is not within the scope of these regulations. While we cannot provide human authored live captions for all live audio content in synchronized media, users are able to utilise machine generated live captions in some platforms.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 28th September 2026 following a self-assessment of our websites against Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 success criterion A and AA in September 2026.
The statement was last reviewed on 29th September 2026, the next review period is scheduled for January 2027.
Feedback and contact information
Inform us if something is not accessible
If you encounter a problem with digital accessibility on one of our websites, notify us using our digital accessibility issue reporting form. You will be redirected to this page after you submit the form.
Contact Information
Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL)
Email: space@leedsconservatoire.ac.uk
Office: Room 401, St. Peter’s Square Building, LS2 7PD
Working Hours:
- Monday – Thursday, 9:00am – 4:30pm
- Friday, 9:00am – 4:00pm
Phone: +44 (0)113 222 3499 ext. 3380, 3504, 3511, 3505
Book a Digital Coaching appointment (internal only service for conservatoire students)
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 we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
