29 December 2006

A school website has received praise from education regulator Ofsted for its accessibility standards and clarity, according to recent reports.

St Paul's Academy in Greenwich, London had a website designed by teacher-designer Nathalie Vu-Van-Toan, created specifically to allow easy online access for disabled people.

She told the Birmingham Post that small to medium-sized enterprises should embrace website compliance rules, since accessible web pages can in fact enhance search engine optimisation.

"I tell people that if their website is accessible it means it's faster to download, it's visible to more browsers and it increases their audience by a significant number," she remarked.

She added that "all websites" for small or large organisations should comply with accessibility guidelines.

According the Financial Times, school websites represent a "great way" to study particular schools.

The Schools Web Directory UK currently lists 15,664 British school websites. Out of the 208 local education authorities listed in its database, 30 have a 100 per cent record for secondary schools with an Internet presence.

© Adfero Ltd

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