Cookies

This service puts small files (known as ‘cookies’) onto your computer to collect information about how you browse the site.

Our cookies aren’t used to identify you personally.

You’ll normally see a message on the site before we store a cookie on your computer.

Find out more about how to manage cookies.

How cookies are used on this service

Measuring website usage (Google Analytics)

We use Google Analytics software to collect information about how you use GOV.UK. We do this to help make sure the site is meeting the needs of its users and to help us make improvements.

Google Analytics stores information about:

the pages you visit on this service
how long you spend on each page
how you got to the site
what you click on while you’re visiting the site

We don’t collect or store your personal information (eg your name or address) so this information can’t be used to identify who you are.

We don’t allow Google to use or share our analytics data.

Google Analytics sets the following cookies:

Universal Analytics

Name	Purpose	Expires
_ga	This helps us count how many people visit GOV.UK by tracking if you’ve visited before	2 years
_gat	Used to manage the rate at which page view requests are made	10 minutes

You can opt out of Google Analytics cookies.

Content experiments

Google Analytics and Optimize content testing. We sometimes test slightly different versions of our content to find out which version users find easier to use. The following cookies are needed to run these tests. All data is anonymised.

Name	Purpose	Expires
__utmx	Shows inclusion in test	18 months
__utmxx	Determines test expiry	18 months
_gaexp	Google Optimize test inclusion and expiry	Usually 90 days but can vary depending on test

Our introductory message

You may see a pop-up welcome message when you first visit this service. We’ll store a cookie so that your computer knows you’ve seen it and knows not to show it again.

Name	Purpose	Expires
seen_cookie_message	Saves a message to let us know that you’ve seen our cookie message	1 month

Compare school and college performance

You are able to select schools and colleges to compare their performance. We store your choices in a cookie so that you don't need to select them again during your visit.

Name	Purpose	Expires
comparisonitemids	Stores your selection of schools to compare	When you close your browser

"I'm not a robot" test in feedback form

Helps avoid junk being submitted via the form, which was making it hard for us to process feedback from real users. We store the fact that you have passed the test in a cookie so that you don't need to do the test again during your visit.

Name	Purpose	Expires
Nid	These cookies are used by Google to store user preferences when viewing pages on our website with the embedded Google CAPTCHA functionality	6 months

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Help us improve GOV.UK

Ofsted data incorrect?

It typically takes 1 to 2 months, and can take longer in some circumstances, for Ofsted data to be made available and updated here following an inspection.
For the very latest Ofsted data, please visit the Ofsted website (opens in a new window)

Edubase data incorrect?

Data such as headteacher's name, school website, gender, age-range and school type also typically take 1 to 2 months to be updated here after first being updated in Edubase. To report incorrect information to Edubase, please use the Service Request/Feedback (opens in a new window) form.

Don’t include personal or financial information, eg your National Insurance number or credit card details.

This form is for reporting problems with the website, its contents and data only. To make a complaint about a school, or a general complaint or enquiry, contact the Department for Education. Illegal behaviour should be reported to the police.

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