Our Cookie Policy | Totton College

What are cookies?

Cookies are small data files that websites place on your computer, laptop, or mobile device. We use the term cookie to describe cookies and similar technologies such as tags and pixels.

How we use cookies

We use cookies to:

improve the performance of our websites by understanding which parts work well, and which don’t
measure how effective our online advertising and marketing communications are
enable us to collect information about how you and other people use our websites
improve your experience on our websites, for example by enabling you to complete forms.

What types of cookies do we use?

Strictly necessary cookies: These are cookies that are required for the operation of our website. They are necessary for the safety, security, and integrity of the site. For example, they help support the structure of the pages that are displayed to you, help to improve navigation, and allow you to return to pages you have previously visited. This type of cookie only lasts for the duration of the time you are visiting the website. When you leave the website, they are deleted automatically.

Performance cookies or analytical cookies: These allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors and to see how visitors move around our website when they are using it. This helps us to improve the way our website works, for example, by ensuring that users are finding what they are looking for easily. The data is grouped together and anonymised, which means we cannot identify you as an individual. Some of the performance cookies we use include (but are not limited to) Google Analytics.

Functionality cookies: We do not currently use these. If we choose to use these in the future, these would be used to recognise you when you return to our website. They would enable us to remember your preferences (for example, your choice of region). These cookies will remain on your device until you choose to clear them. If you choose to do this, you will need to enter your details each time you visit the site.

Flash cookies: Adobe uses a particular type of cookie called a Local Shared Object (LSO), which is typically collected if, for example, you watch a video that uses the Adobe Flash media player, i.e., an embedded YouTube video on a page that is being played via Flash. Please note that these types of cookies are not used on iPads, which do not support Flash. More information is available on Adobe’s website on how to control theses cookies.

Web beacons: Web beacons are small single pixel transparent image files. They allow website owners to know when a visitor has reached their website, and are used in conjunction with cookies to allow further website tracking to be monitored. Again, these files are not viruses, but are useful in helping us to make your web surfing experience better.

Cookies we use

Adobe Analytics

Gather data regarding site usage and user behaviour on the website. Learn more about Adobe Analytics here. Google Analytics is our current analytics platform.

Google Analytics

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Google Analytics 4 (GA4) cookies are used to collect information about how visitors use our website. We use the information to compile reports and to help us improve the website. The cookies collect information in a way that does not directly identify anyone, but, enables us to monitor the number of visitors to the website and blog, where visitors have come to the website from (channel), the pages they visited, and linking this to Google Ads to inform performance. These cookies do not enable us to identify specific users of the site. For more information about GA4 cookies, visit the GA4 site.

Google AdSense

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Used by Google AdSense for experimenting with advertisement efficiency across websites using their services.

Cookie preference

CookieControl

This cookie is used to remember a user’s choice about cookies on nacro.org.uk. Where users have previously indicated a preference, that user’s preference will be stored in this cookie. Learn more about CookieControl, on the Cookie Control site.

Facebook (DoubleClick)

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Facebook tracking pixel used to identify visitors for personalised advertising.

Meta Platforms, Inc

lastExternalReferrer
lastExternalReferrerTime

Detects how the user reached the website by registering their last URL-address.

PHP.net

PHPSESSID

Cookie generated by applications based on the PHP language. This is a general purpose identifier used to maintain user session variables. It is normally a random generated number, how it is used can be specific to the site, but a good example is maintaining a logged-in status for a user between pages.

TikTok

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Cookies are used to match events with people who engage with your content on TikTok. Learn more here.

YouTube

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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. Find out more about YouTube’s cookies.

More about Google Analytics

Google Analytics uses first cookies to help the website analyse how users use the site. Nacro.org.uk no longer uses Google Universal Analytics and has installed Google Analytics 4 as part of our ongoing work in protecting your privacy.

Google Analytics 4

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) uses first-party cookies, which collects event-based data from Nacro.org.uk.

GA4 is a new property which:

collects both website and app data to better understand the customer journey
uses event-based data instead of session-based
includes privacy controls such as cookieless measurement, and behavioural and conversion modelling
predictive capabilities offer guidance without complex models
integrates to media platforms help drive actions on Nacro.org.uk.

We’ll be able to see data collected in Google Universal Analytics reports for a period of time after July 1, 2023. However, new data will only flow into Google Analytics 4 properties. You can learn more here.

You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, however, please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website. By using this website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above.

To opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics across all websites, visit here.

What our main technology partners provide

We work with Bloom Digital in maintaining and improving our website. Bloom Digital provide the hosting services and maintain the software that runs our website. As part of this agreement, they must all satisfy the data protection requirements. If you have any questions, contact us and we’ll be happy to help.

How do I change my cookie settings?

You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking on the ‘C’ icon on the bottom left hand side of the website. You can adjust the available sliders to ‘On’ or ‘Off’, then click ‘Save and close’. You may need to refresh your page for your settings to take effect.

Alternatively, most web browsers allow some control of most cookies through the browser settings.

Find out how to manage cookies on popular browsers:

For information relating to other browsers, visit the browser developer’s website.

To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set, visit About Cookies or All About Cookies.