Privacy and cookies
Last updated 20 October 2026
What ABC Edu stores when you search, use the map or send a form — and for how long. No tracking or analytics, and banner ads only if you say yes.
Who we are
ABC Edu (abcedu.co.uk) is an independent website owned by Steven Smith. For anything about your personal data, email hello@abcedu.co.uk.
Browsing the site
- No tracking. We don’t use analytics or social-media trackers. Our fonts, scripts and icons are served from our own server. Banner ads load only if you agree — see Banner ads.
- Server logs. Like almost every website, our web server records requests (IP address, date and time, page and browser type) for security and troubleshooting. They are kept for a limited time and not used to profile anyone.
- Links to other websites (school websites, Ofsted reports and so on) go through an address on our site (
/go/…/) so we can count how often each is used. We record only the date and time, the link and the page it was on — not your IP address — and no cookie is set. Taps on a school’s phone number are counted the same way. - Your compare list is kept in your own browser (local storage) and never sent to us, except as part of the compare page’s web address when you open it.
Searching by postcode or place
When you search near a postcode or place, our server looks it up with postcodes.io. Only the postcode or place name is sent — not your IP address or anything else about you. We keep the answer (the location of that postcode) to speed up future searches; it isn’t linked to you. To stop abuse, we count lookups per connection using a scrambled (keyed-hash) version of your IP address, deleted after 30 days.
Maps
Our maps load only when you scroll to them. The map pictures (tiles) are then downloaded by your browser directly from OpenStreetMap’s tile servers, which receive your IP address and which part of the map you are looking at, as with any website you visit. Their own privacy policy applies.
Cookies
| Cookie | What it does | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Session cookie (PHPSESSID) | Set only on pages with a form. It holds a random ID that protects the form against forgery, and nothing about you. | Until you close your browser |
| Admin session | Only for the site owner when signed in to the admin area. | Until sign-out, or 2 hours of inactivity |
Your ads choice (ads-consent in local storage, or a cookie called ads_consent if storage is blocked) | Remembers whether you accepted or rejected ads cookies, so we don’t ask on every page. It holds only “accept” or “reject” and the date, and it isn’t sent to anyone. | 6 months |
| Awin cookies (only if you accept ads cookies) | Set by the Awin affiliate network when a banner is shown or clicked, so that a purchase can be credited to us. | Set by Awin |
Banner ads
Some pages have up to two banner ads: one under the menu, and one part-way through a school page or explainer. There are none on this page, the contact, terms and review-rules pages, the forms, the school search, the map or the compare page. The ads come from 5od (5od.co.uk), a small ad service run by the owner of this site. They’re contextual: 5od chooses a banner to suit the page you’re reading, not you. 5od itself sets no cookies and builds no profile of you; your browser sends it the site, the ad position and size, and the address of the page.
The banners are for shops and brands in the Awin affiliate network. Awin’s banner images and links can set Awin’s own cookies: when a banner is shown, and when you click one. That’s why nothing loads until you choose:
- Accept ads cookies: banners load, and Awin is told you agreed.
- Reject: no banners load at all, and your browser doesn’t contact 5od or Awin for ads.
- JavaScript off: no ads load and you won’t be asked.
Like any website, 5od’s server sees your IP address when your browser asks it for a banner. 5od doesn’t store raw IP addresses: it keeps a scrambled (salted and hashed) version for up to 2 days, only to limit abuse.
Changing your mind
Use Cookie settings (also at the bottom of every page) to see your current choice and change it at any time. If you switch from accept to reject, banners stop loading straight away. Any Awin cookies already set stay in your browser until they expire, or until you delete them in your browser’s settings (clearing this site’s data also resets your choice, and we’ll ask again).
When you send us a form
| Form | What we store | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Report a problem | The school, the reason, your message and your email address (if you give one) | Until we have dealt with it, then up to 365 days |
| All forms | A scrambled (keyed-hash) version of your IP address, to stop spam and abuse | 30 days |
Our lawful basis
We rely on legitimate interests: running an accurate website, dealing with the messages you send, and keeping the site secure and free of spam. We keep as little as possible. You have the right to object.
Who sees your data
Only the site owner, and our hosting provider which stores it. We don’t sell or share it, except where the law requires.
Your rights and complaints
You can ask to see, correct or delete personal data we hold about you, to restrict how we use it, or object to our using it — email hello@abcedu.co.uk. If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, please tell us first. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint.
Changes
If we change what we collect, we will update this page and the date at the top.