Claru and the UK Easy Read Standards 2026
A full, honest look at every rule — what our converter does, what a Claru editor adds, and what is still to come.
The UK Easy Read Standards 2026 are the first agreed set of rules for making Easy Read in the UK. They are published on 1 October 2026. Claru sits on the Working Group that wrote them.
We think a tool that makes Easy Read should be clear about how well it follows the Standards. So this page lists every rule and shows exactly where we stand. We update it whenever something changes. Nothing is hidden.
Reviewed on 28 August 2026, against the October 2026 text. The Standards are still a draft in places, so a few points may move. This is a self-assessment — the Standards do not have a certificate or a register you can join.
Where we stand
There are 59 rules we can measure ourselves against.
51Met straight from the converter
2More met once a Claru editor has checked the document
2Design choices we have made on purpose — explained below
1On the way
3Not about what Claru does
There are no rules we simply fail.
How to read the tables
Yes the rule is met at this point
Yes the editor adds this on top of the converter
— nothing to add here
By design a choice we explain below
Planned we are building this
N/A not about our service
Everything the converter does, an edited document keeps. The middle column only calls out what a person adds.
Part 1 — Words
| The rule | From the converter | + Claru editor | Coming next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use easy words that most people know well | Yes | Yes | |
| Use examples from real life | Yes | Yes | |
| Try not to use jargon | Yes | Yes | |
| If jargon cannot be avoided, explain it in plain words | Yes | Yes | |
| Put the hard word and its meaning in bold — and nowhere else | Yes | Yes | |
| You can add a list of hard words | Yes | Yes | |
| Use "you" to mean the reader | Yes | Yes | |
| Use the same word for the same thing every time | Yes | Yes | |
| Write the numbers 1 to 999 as figures | Yes | Yes | |
| Write bigger numbers as a mix of figures and words | Yes | Yes | |
| Money in currency words in the text, with the symbol in the picture | Yes | Yes | |
| Write the time on the 12-hour clock | Yes | Yes | |
| Write dates in full, and add the day of the week for dates in the future | Yes | Yes | |
| Use an approximate number when the exact one does not matter | Yes | Yes | |
| Do not use percentages — use "1 in 10", "half", "nearly all" | Yes | Yes | |
| Keep house numbers and phone numbers as normal digits | Yes | Yes |
Part 2 — Sentences
| The rule | From the converter | + Claru editor | Coming next |
|---|---|---|---|
| List three or more things as bullet points | Yes | Yes | |
| Short sentences and simple punctuation — no brackets, speech marks or short forms like "can't" | Yes | Yes | |
| A question mark only when the reader must answer — never a heading as a question | Yes | Yes | |
| Use the active voice | Yes | Yes | |
| Short sentences, one idea, up to 15 words (we cap at 12) | Yes | Yes | |
| Start each sentence on a new line | Yes | Yes | |
| Use link words that describe where the link goes, not "click here" | Yes | Yes | |
| Make links stand out in bold and colour, not underline | Yes | Yes | |
| If you use QR codes, make them accessible | N/A | N/A | Claru does not add QR codes. |
Part 3 — The text
| The rule | From the converter | + Claru editor | Coming next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text is left aligned | Yes | Yes | |
| Text is in a sans-serif font | Yes | Yes | |
| The same font all the way through | By design | By design | See "The choices we have made" below. |
| Main text is about 18 point | Yes | Yes | |
| At least 4 points between the body text and the headings | Yes | Yes | |
| Plain text — no underline, italics, shadow or capitals | Yes | Yes |
Part 4 — The whole document
| The rule | From the converter | + Claru editor | Coming next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pages are A4 | Yes | Yes | |
| Black text on white, with nothing behind the text | By design | By design | See "The choices we have made" below. |
| Every page is numbered | Yes | Yes | |
| As short as possible — most documents 20 pages or fewer | Yes | Yes | The converter estimates the page count before you pay and warns you if a document will run long. |
| A hard-words list on one page, at the start or the end | Yes | Yes | |
| Pictures on the left of the text | Yes | Yes | |
| Pictures at least 5 cm wide | Yes | Yes | |
| One picture for each idea | Yes | Yes | |
| No more than 5 pictures on an A4 page | Yes | Yes | |
| Equal spacing all the way through | Yes | Yes | |
| A sentence or paragraph does not run over 2 pages | Yes | Yes | |
| A 2 cm margin around the text | Yes | Yes | |
| Good space between pictures and words | Yes | Yes | |
| At least 1.2 line spacing (we use 1.5) | Yes | Yes | |
| Good space between paragraphs | Yes | Yes | |
| At the start: say it is an Easy Read and who wrote it | Planned | Planned | The document already says it is an Easy Read, and your organisation name is on the cover. Naming the author in the opening line of the "About Easy Read" page is the part still to come. |
| At the end: say where the pictures came from | Yes | Yes | |
| Forms need a space to write an answer under each question | N/A | N/A | Claru makes documents to read, not forms to fill in. |
Part 5 — Pictures and logos
| The rule | From the converter | + Claru editor | Coming next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use pictures your readers can understand | Yes | Yes | |
| Where you can, use pictures of the real items and people | — | Yes | The converter uses a clear drawn library, which the Standards allow. A Claru editor can swap in real photos of your building, staff or forms. |
| Add simple graphics — a tick, a cross, an arrow — to add meaning | Yes | Yes | Many library pictures already carry these. An automatic tick / cross / arrow layer is planned. |
| Use a plain background most of the time | Yes | Yes | |
| Think about representing the communities you write for | — | Yes | A Claru editor checks the people shown fit your readers, and changes them if not. |
| Make sure you have permission to use the pictures | Yes | Yes | |
| Logo text big enough — or write the words next to it | Yes | Yes | |
| Only add alt text if your readers ask — otherwise mark pictures decorative | Yes | Yes | Off by default. A tick box on the branding step turns it on. We keep the picture descriptions in our system either way. |
| Use calendar pictures for dates and clock pictures for times | Yes | Yes | |
| Consider the IERCoP guidance on choosing images | N/A | N/A | The Standards do not yet link to this guidance. |
The choices we have made
Two rules we do not follow to the letter. Both are deliberate, and here is why.
By designThe same font all the way through
We use one clear font for the body text and one for the headings. The rule asks for a single font everywhere.
The Standards' own example is about changing the body font, which we never do. A heading font that stays the same on every page is a gentler difference. We may still move to one font — it is a small change — and we will update this page if we do.
By designNothing behind the text
The body text is pure black on white. Behind it, headings and picture rows sit on a very faint tint of your brand colour.
We have made this tint as light as it can be while still showing — half of what it was. It is what gives a Claru document its look, the text on top is always full-strength black on white, and in practice many Easy Read providers keep some background colour too. Removing it completely stays on the table.
Testing with readers
Best practice says an Easy Read document should be checked by people with learning disabilities before it is published. The converter does not do this, and it cannot.
It is the author's job to arrange reader testing, and our post-editing service can help set it up. We are working to build reader checking into Claru itself.
Where we are going
- Reader checking with people with learning disabilities, built into Claru.
- The author's name on the opening line of the "About Easy Read" page.
- An automatic tick, cross or arrow layer on pictures, to show good, bad or rising.
- The day of the week shown on the calendar picture, not only in the words.
- The alt-text tick box in Studio as well as on the converter.
Our full roadmap covers everything else we are building.
Think we have this wrong ?
If you think a rule is graded wrongly, or something is missing, please tell us. We will look into it and put it right.
Get in Touch
Claru is a member of the Easy Read Standards Working Group.
Our approach to Easy Read standards · What is Easy Read ?
Our approach to Easy Read standards · What is Easy Read ?