Cookies
Websites may use cookies for a number of purposes, including improving your user experience by enabling the website to "remember" your web browser, either for the duration of a single visit using a "session cookie" or for multiple visits using a "persistent cookie".
We use different types of cookies for different things, such as:
- Recognising when you’ve signed in
- Giving you a better, more personalised experience
- Analysing how how our services are used
Some essential features on our sites will not work without cookies and having other cookies switched off can affect the features available and how content is displayed to you.
"Strictly necessary" cookies can’t be turned off as they are needed to provide our service. However, Functional and Performance cookies can be turned on or off below.
Your settings
To adjust your Cookie preferences JavaScript must be enabled. Please enable JavaScript within your browser to continue.
Strictly necessary cookies |
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These cookies are essential so that you can move around our website and use its features. Without these cookies we would not be able to provide our service and therefore cannot be disabled. |
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Functional cookies |
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These cookies allow us to provide features such as videos, images, directions and location maps, which may be hosted by a third-party, and remember choices you make to give you better functionality including. |
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Performance cookies |
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These are used to analyse how our servcies are used and on which devices so that we design or services to be easier to use and provide a better experience. |
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Strictly Necessary cookies
These cookies let you use the services we provide and without them, the services that you have asked for cannot be provided. Some examples of how we use strictly necessary cookies are:
- Signing into the our services;
- Remembering previous actions such as text entered into a form when navigating back to a page in the same session;
- Remembering security settings which restrict access to certain content e.g. password protected pages.
| Cookie | Name | Purpose | More information |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSAT Core Preferences | tsat-sn-p | Stores the acknowledgement and acceptapance of the cookie policy. Once accepted the cookie message is not repeatedly displayed, until either the cookie expires or is deleted. | Expires one year after creation/update. |
| TSAT Core Session Preferences | tsat-sn-s | Stores session based user preferences, such as an acknowledgement of a message or the position or status of a user interface element. | Expires when browser is closed. |
| WordPress commenter name | comment_author | Stores the name entered into the comments name text field, so that a user is not required to repeatedly type their name. | Expires one year after creation/update. |
| WordPress commenter email | comment_author_email | Stores the email address entered into the comments email text field, so that a user is not required to repeatedly type their full email address. | Expires one year after creation/update. |
| WordPress commenter website | comment_author_url | Stores the website URL entered into the comments website text field, so that a user is not required to repeatedly type their website's URL. | Expires one year after creation/update. |
| WordPress session | wordpress_ + 32 characters | Stores a logged in user's authentication details required for logging into our website. | Expires two months after creation/update. |
| WordPress logged in session | wordpress_logged_in_ + 32 characters | Session based authentication details, required to keep a user logged in, as is set when logging into our website. | Expires when browser is closed. |
| WordPress cookie test | wordpress_test_cookie | Tests if a user's web browser will accept cookies. This cookie is required for some site features to function. | Expires when browser is closed. |
| WordPress user preferences | wp_settings-1, wp_settings-times-1 | Stores a user's preferences for viewing pages within the site e.g. customisation of the interface. Customisation of the interface is only available once logged into our website | Expires one year after creation/update. |
Functional cookies
These help us provide different features, including those provided by third parties, to provide content or remember the last dropdown you opened so that we can re-open it if you browse to any related content and then navigate back. Some examples of how we use strictly functional cookies are:
- Flash cookies, which are stored on your hard drive, not your browser. These are useful for things like pausing a video;
- Remembering if you visited the website before so that messages for you have seen before are not displayed;
- Providing external content including Google Maps, You Tube videos and other content, that requires cookies.
The table below explains the cookies possibly used by third-party services.
| Cookie | Name | Purpose | More Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Maps | SID, SAPISID, APISID, SSID, HSID, NID, PREF | These cookies are used by Google to store user preferences and information when viewing pages with Google maps upon them. While we have no control over the cookies set by Google, they appear to include a mixture of pieces of information to measure the number and behaviour of Google Maps users. Use of this service is designed to provide detailed information on how to locate Thinking Solutions for Education. | Overview of privacy at Google,Terms of Service for Google Maps |
| Google Apps | __utmz, __utma, __utmb, N_T, PP_TOS_ACK, SNID, GAPS, NID, PREF, S | These cookies are used by Google set a number of cookies on any page that includes a Google Calendar, Doc or Sheet. While we have no control over the cookies set by Google, they appear to include a mixture of pieces of information to measure the number and behaviour of Google users, as well as information about which calendar you are viewing, and which tab you are currently on. Use of this service is designed to provide access to events that are held by Thinking Solutions for Education. | Overview of privacy at Google, Terms of Service for Google Analytics |
| You Tube | Visitor_Info_1_live, APISID, CONSENT, HSID, LOGIN_INFO, PREF, SAPISID, SID, SSID, VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE, YSC | These cookies are used by You Tube set a number of cookies on any page that includes You Tube content such as videos. While we have no control over the cookies set by You Tube, they appear to include a mixture of pieces of information to measure the number and behaviour of You Tube users, as well as information about which videos you are viewing. Use of this service is designed to provide access to videos that relate to Thinking Solutions for Education. | Overview of privacy at Google, Terms of Service for Google Analytics |
| Vimeo | __utma, __utmb, __utmc, __utmz, uid, v6f, aka_debug, Searchtoken | These cookies are used by Vimeo set a number of cookies on any page that includes Vimeo content such as videos. While we have no control over the cookies set by Vimeo, they appear to include a mixture of pieces of information to measure the number and behaviour of Vimeo users, as well as information about which videos you are viewing. Use of this service is designed to provide access to videos that relate to Thinking Solutions for Education. | Vimeo.com Privacy Policy |
| pid, k, external_referer, _twitter_sess, auth_token_session, secure_session, twll, original_referer, _utmz, _utma, _utmb, _utmc, _utmv, guest_id | These cookies are used by Twitter set a number of cookies on any page that includes Tweets or content from Twitter. While we have no control over the cookies set by Twitter, they appear to include a mixture of pieces of information to measure the number and behaviour of Twitter users, as well as information about which content you are viewing. Use of this service is designed to provide access to tweets that relate to Thinking Solutions for Education. | Twitter Privacy Policy | |
| L, W, c_user, csm, datr, locate, lu, s xs | These cookies are used by Facebook set a number of cookies on any page that includes content from Facebook. While we have no control over the cookies set by Facebook, they appear to include a mixture of pieces of information to measure the number and behaviour of Facebook users, as well as information about which content you are viewing. Use of this service is designed to provide access to tweets that relate to Thinking Solutions for Education. | Facebook Privacy Policy |
Performance cookies
These are used to analyse how our servcies are used and on which devices so that we design or services to be easier to use and provide a better experience. They also allow us to develop new ideas and solutions. To analyse and monitor our performance we may use third-party companies that may set their own cookies. Some examples of how we use performance cookies are:
- To collect information about which web pages visitors go to most often so we can provide more relevant content;
- To collect information about the types of device and browser being used so that we can provide designs and content that work as expected;
- Testing designs to help improve the look and feel of the website.;
- Error management to make sure that the service is working properly.
The table below explains the cookies possibly used by third-party services.
| Cookie | Name | Purpose | More Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics | _ga | Used to distinguish users. | Overview of privacy at Google, Terms of Service for Google Analytics |
| Google Analytics | __utma | Used to distinguish users and sessions. The cookie is created when the javascript library executes and no existing __utma cookies exists. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics. | Overview of privacy at Google, Terms of Service for Google Analytics |
| Google Analytics | _ga | Used to distinguish users and sessions. The cookie is created when the javascript library executes and no existing _ga cookies exists. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics. | Overview of privacy at Google, Terms of Service for Google Analytics |
| Google Analytics | _gid | Used to distinguish users and sessions. The cookie is created when the javascript library executes and no existing _gid cookies exists. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics. | Overview of privacy at Google, Terms of Service for Google Analytics |
| Google Analytics | _gat | Used to throttle request rate. If Google Analytics is deployed via Google Tag Manager. The cookie is created when the javascript library executes and is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics. | Overview of privacy at Google, Terms of Service for Google Analytics |
| Google Analytics | AMP_TOKEN | Contains a token that can be used to retrieve a Client ID from AMP Client ID service. Other possible values indicate opt-out, inflight request or an error retrieving a Client ID from AMP Client ID service. | Overview of privacy at Google, Terms of Service for Google Analytics |
Our use of Third Party Cookies
Third party sites and/or products may be used to enhance the user experience, to enable specific features and/or functionality and to gather statistics relating to the use and navigation of Thinking Solutions for Education websites to inform development.
Websites published by Thinking Solutions for Education do utilise third party sites and products that may create and store cookies beyond the control of Thinking Solutions for Education. Where possible, Thinking Solutions for Education has attempted to identify any such cookies, and ascertain the purposes for which they are used, whiuch we have included above based on the purpose we use the cookies for.
What is a cookie?
A cookie is a simple text file that is created by website/service and then stored upon an end-users device. When the cookie is stored only the website that created the cookie is able to access and read the contents contained within the cookie file. Each cookie is unique to a user's web browser and may contain information including unique identifiers and the site name and expiration dates etc…
Most websites use cookies to provide specific functionality and/or to improve user experience by identifying a specific visitor, either for the duration of a visit ("session cookie") or for repeated visits ("persistent cookie").
Cookies can be used to provide a number of functions, for example: login or authentication, storing preferences, content layout or provision and efficient page navigation. Cookies are used to aid the visitors interaction with a website. Websites that do not utilise cookies, generally, are unable to recognise returning users. For example, if a website required authentication to access a particular service, a visitor could be required to enter their login details every time they navigated to a new page, as without a cookie the website is unable to provide continuous authentication.
Cookies may also be used to provide and collect information for marketing or advertising purposes. Such cookies can be used to collate information on a visitors location and/or browsing habits.
Cookies may be created by the provider of the website being viewed ("first party cookies") or they may be created by other websites/services that current website is using to display content or background services ("third party cookies").
Preventing the use of cookies
Further information about cookies, including how to disable/enable and delete them completely, can be found at the following website www.aboutcookies.org.
If you wish to remove the cookies created through the use of out website, please delete the cookies listed above from your web browser.
Most cookies can be blocked (except for third party plug-in cookies) by enabling a setting within your web browser that controls cookie behaviour. However, if you configure your web browser to block all cookies you may not be able to access some areas of our websites, or you may experience a reduction features and/or functionality. Websites published by Thinking Solutions for Education or The Thinking Schools Academy Trust may create cookies, unless you have disabled the use of cookies within your browser.
Cookies created by plug-ins, such as Adobe's Flash Player, cannot generally be controlled or deleted from within a web browser's settings. Websites published by Thinking Solutions for Education may use your browser's Adobe Flash Player plug-in to play video content. For information on how to delete or disable Flash cookies (also known as local shared objects) is available from Adobe's website at www.adobe.com. However, if you configure your Adobe Flash Player plug-in to block Flash cookies, you may not be able to play video content.
Changes to cookie usage
Thinking Solutions for Education keeps the use of cookies under regular review. This page was last updated on 14th May 2018.