This policy explains how Abingdon School uses cookies and similar technologies on this website (www.abingdon.org.uk), what we use them for, and how you can control them. It should be read alongside our data protection information, which explains more generally how we handle personal information.
Last updated: Sept 17th 2026
What cookies and similar technologies are
Cookies are small text files that a website places on your computer, tablet or phone when you visit. They are widely used to make websites work, to make them work more efficiently, and to provide information to the people who run the site.
We also use technologies that work in a similar way but do not always store a file on your device — most commonly tracking pixels and tags. A pixel is a small piece of code on a page that tells a third party, such as Google or Meta, that your browser has loaded that page. It can pass on information including your IP address, the page you are viewing and details of the browser and device you are using, whether or not a cookie is stored. Where this policy refers to “cookies”, we mean all of these technologies.
The categories we use
- Strictly necessary. These are needed for the website to work and for us to remember the cookie choices you have made. They cannot be switched off.
- Functional. These support features such as embedded content and forms, and remember choices you make to improve your experience.
- Analytics and performance. These help us understand how the site is used — which pages are popular, how people arrive and where they run into difficulty — so that we can improve it. We use Google Analytics for this.
- Advertising. These are set by Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and allow us to measure whether our advertising is reaching people and to show our advertising to relevant audiences on Meta’s platforms.
Everything except the strictly necessary category is set only if you consent to it.
Your choices
When you first visit the website you are asked whether you accept cookies. You can accept all, reject all, or choose category by category. You can change your mind at any time by selecting Cookie Settings, which reopens the same choices.
Rejecting non-essential cookies will not stop you using the website or any part of it. If you clear the cookies stored by your browser you will also clear the record of your preferences, so you will be asked again on your next visit.
You can also block or delete cookies through your browser settings. Every browser handles this differently, and the help pages for your browser will explain how.
The cookies we use
The table below lists the cookies used on this website, who sets them, what they are used for and how long they last. Some cookies are only set in particular circumstances — for example, if you arrive at the site from one of our adverts.
| Cookie | Set by | What it is used for | Category | How long it lasts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cookieyes-consent | CookieYes | Records the cookie choices you have made, so that we can apply them and do not have to ask you again on every page. | Strictly necessary | 1 year |
| wordpress_test_cookie | Abingdon School (WordPress) | Checks whether your browser will accept cookies. | Strictly necessary | When you close your browser |
| wp-settings-[ID] and wp-settings-time-[ID] | Abingdon School (WordPress) | Set only for members of staff signed in to edit the website. Remembers their preferences in the editing screens. | Strictly necessary | 1 year |
| _ga | Google Analytics | Tells one visitor apart from another, so that we can count visits and see which pages are used. | Analytics and performance | 2 years |
| _ga_CBPCLVHFE2 | Google Analytics | Keeps track of your current visit for our Google Analytics property. | Analytics and performance | 2 years |
| _gid | Google Analytics | Tells one visitor apart from another for day-to-day reporting. | Analytics and performance | 24 hours |
| _fbp | Meta (Facebook and Instagram) | Identifies your browser to Meta so that we can measure whether our advertising leads to visits to this site, and show our advertising to relevant audiences. | Advertising | 3 months |
| _fbc | Meta (Facebook and Instagram) | Set only if you reach this site by clicking one of our adverts on Facebook or Instagram. Records which advert you clicked so that the visit can be attributed to it. | Advertising | 3 months |
Who receives information about your visit
Google. We use Google Analytics to understand how the site is used. Where you have consented to analytics cookies, Google receives information including the pages you view, how long you spend on them, your approximate location, and details of your device and browser. More information is available in Google’s privacy policy and in Google’s explanation of how it uses information from sites that use its services.
Meta. We use the Meta Pixel, which allows us to measure how well our advertising on Facebook and Instagram is working and to show our advertising to relevant audiences. Where you have consented to advertising cookies, Meta receives information including the pages you view on this site, your IP address and details of your browser and device.
We do not use Meta’s Advanced Matching or Conversions API, which means we do not pass Meta any details you enter into forms on this site, such as your name, email address or telephone number, and we do not send Meta information from our own systems.
Meta processes the information it receives in line with its own Privacy Policy. You can control how Meta uses information about you for advertising in your Meta ad preferences.
Our legal basis
We place cookies that are not strictly necessary only with your consent, as required by the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations. Where the information collected is personal data, we rely on your consent under the UK General Data Protection Regulation. You can withdraw your consent at any time using the Cookie Settings link, and doing so will not affect anything that happened before you withdrew it.
Children and young people
This website is intended mainly for parents, prospective parents and the wider school community, but we know that pupils and prospective pupils also use it. Advertising cookies are never set unless a visitor has actively consented to them.
Changes to this policy
We review this policy regularly and will update it whenever the cookies used on the website change. The date at the top of the page shows when it was last updated.
Contact us
If you have any questions about this policy, or about how we handle your personal information, please contact the Website Officer at [email protected].
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal information you may complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk.
