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School Website Support Cookie Regulations and the New EU Law
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School Website Support Please contact via email in the first instance. Email: alison.bellerby @hertscc.gov.uk Tel: 01438 844777 (Option 1 and then Option 5)
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What Do I Need to Do?

Make Changes to your Website to Gain Consent

If you continue to set cookies you will certainly need to make changes to your website. Ideally, you should be asking for approval to set cookies as they arrive at your website and before any cookies are set.

The ICO website has a prominent section on all the top of its pages asking for consent to set cookies (once users have agreed it disappears). This has a clear link to a page with more information about what cookies they set and why. This approach is likely to be considered an ideal way forward: the more open with information about your cookie use you can provide, the better informed are the users and the easier they can give their consent.

If your users have to register to use your website, you can add the acceptance of cookies as part of the website’s terms and conditions. People that have already registered need to be asked to agree to cookies; this can be done on the next visit to the website or you could email users informing them of that you set cookies. Users should be reminded that you set cookies before they login by a message on the page by the login.

Privacy Policy

At the very least, all websites which set cookies will have to make a prominent link at the top of the website linking to a page which explains what cookies your website sets, and why. Hiding cookie information away in a privacy policy which is linked at the bottom of a page isn’t considered acceptable.

• Privacy Notice on the ICO's website

Facebook 'Like' and Twitter 'Follow'

If your website has embedded Facebook 'Like' or Twitter 'Follow' buttons created by pasting code from their websites, it is likely that they will store cookies on your visitors' computers. The solution to this is to remove the script and add Facebook or Twitter images with hyperlinks to the relevant webpages.

Google Analytics

A software company, Wolf Software has offered a free solution based on a JavaScript library called jQuery. It adds a section at the top of the website asking for permission to set cookies.

• Google Analytics Solution

Google Custom Search & Translate

It is not possible to prevent cookies being stored when using Google Search or Translate on your site but schools should put text prominently on web pages to warn users that clicking on 'Search' or selecting a language for Translation will set cookies. These will need to be added to your Privacy Policy.

Google Calendar

As with the Google Search, it is not possible to prevent cookies being set. If your Calendar is embedded on your homepage, it should be removed unless you have the expertise to add a script to get consent from visitors. If the Calendar is on a separate page, it is sufficient to add text to warn users that if they click the link, cookies will be set.