Website and Cookies Policy
Many of our webpages use “cookies”. Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer by the websites that you visit. They are widely used in order to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the owners of the site.
Different types of cookies have different purposes and operate for different amounts of time.
- Session cookies are stored in temporary files on your device and are erased from your device when you close your browser. Session cookies allow websites to link the actions of a website visitor during a single browser session, so that any page changes or selections are remembered as you move form page to page. For example, session cookies will make sure items you put into virtual ‘shopping baskets’ are transferred to ‘checkout’, or keep you logged in as you move within private sections of a website.
- Persistent cookies are stored on your device between browser sessions, either for a long-term or time-limited period. They are only deleted when they either ’expire’ or when you or your browser delete cookies from your device. Persistent cookies are used so that a website ‘remembers’ inputs and settings, including recalling log on data so that you do not have to log in again when you next visit. Persistent cookies may also recall which areas of a website interested you, in order to help you access those areas more easily in the future. They may also be used to collect data about your interests, choices, and other organisations and websites that you visit, in order to create a profile enabling marketing materials to be appropriately targeted.
- Third party cookies are cookies that are set by a domain other than the one being visited by the user. For details of any third party cookies we include in our domain, please consult the table below.
Most web browsers allow some control of most cookies through the browser settings. To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set and how to manage and delete them, visit www.aboutcookies.org or www.allaboutcookies.org.
| Cookie | Duration | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Cookie preference (cookieaccept) | Session | This cookie is used to remember a user's acknowledgement of cookies on the website. |
| Google Analytics _utma | Two years | These cookies are used to collect information about how visitors use our site. We use the information to compile reports and to help us improve the site. The cookies collect information in an anonymous form, including the number of visitors to the site, where visitors have come to the site from and the pages they visited. |
| Google Analytics _utmb | Session cookie | These cookies are used to collect information about how visitors use our site. We use the information to compile reports and to help us improve the site. The cookies collect information in an anonymous form, including the number of visitors to the site, where visitors have come to the site from and the pages they visited. |
| Google Analytics _utmc | Not set | These cookies are used to collect information about how visitors use our site. We use the information to compile reports and to help us improve the site. The cookies collect information in an anonymous form, including the number of visitors to the site, where visitors have come to the site from and the pages they visited. |
| Google Analytics _utmz | Six months | These cookies are used to collect information about how visitors use our site. We use the information to compile reports and to help us improve the site. The cookies collect information in an anonymous form, including the number of visitors to the site, where visitors have come to the site from and the pages they visited. |
| YouTube cookies | We embed videos from our official YouTube channel using YouTube's privacy-enhanced mode. This mode may set cookies on your computer once you click on the YouTube video player, but YouTube will not store personally-identifiable cookie information for playbacks of embedded videos using the privacy-enhanced mode. | |
| Localisation | Session | This is used by the website content management systems to keep track of the local time zone. |
| Language | Session | This is used by the website content management systems to know the language of the website. |
| Mode | Session | This is used by the CMS for reference. It helps identify if the website user is anonymous or logged in (for editing). |
| Siteld | Session | This is used by the CMS for reference of the site identifier. It helps manage users across multiple domains for the same client (main site, microsite, mobile site). |
| NID, PREF, khcookie | Session | This is a third party cookie used by Google for tracking the number of people that are using Google’s maps application. Google’s maps are used on the contact us and location pages. |
| js_fullscreen | Session | Stores viewport height minus header for use when filling screen with a layout. |
| js_sw | Session | Stores sidebar width of web page for use with responsive layout. |
| js_vw | Session | Stores viewport width of browser for use with responsive layout. |
| wordpress_logged_in_... | Session | WordPress cookie for a logged-in user. |
| wordpress_test_cookie | Session | WordPress cookie that tests cookies are working. |
| wp-settings-{uid} / wp-settings-time-{uid} | One year | WordPress cookies used to customise the view of the admin interface. The {uid} is the user ID from the user's database table. |
| cfduid | One year | Used by the content network, Cloudflare, to identify trusted web traffic. |
| MCPopupClosed | One year | Used on Schools and Colleges page to allow MailChimp popup to appear |
| MCPopupSubscribed | One year | Used on Schools and Colleges page to allow MailChimp popup to appear |
WordPress itself can generate many cookies depending on the config and plugin/content usage. For a complete list of possible cookies in use by WordPress, please visit cookie-cat.co.uk/cookies.
To opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics across all websites, visit tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. Click here for an overview of privacy at Google.
Changes to our Cookie Statement
Any changes we may make to our Cookie Statement in the future will be posted on this page.