What are cookies?
Cookies are small, often encrypted text files located in web browser directories to store simple information about the visitor and any preferences they set whilst browsing a website. Their function is to help users navigate more efficiently, and to perform certain functions such as saving time on return visits. Due to their core role of enhancing or enabling usability or site processes, disabling cookies may prevent users from using certain parts of a website.

Hartlepool College of Further Education's website does not store any personal information about you using cookies, although some cookies maybe used while you browse the site to remember settings such as font size, resolution etc. This means that any preferences you indicate will be retained as you navigate the website, and implemented automatically on future visits as long as the cookies are stored in your browser. These cookies never at any time access or record personal or sensitive information. Any areas of the site that do collect personal information do so only through consentual input by the user, and use secure session cookies - see Course Search and Application information below for more detail.

For more information on the function and role of cookies, please visit www.whatarecookies.com

What information does the College store?

Hartlepool College of Further Education utilises some third parties systems and software to improve the efficiency of its website, some of which use cookies. These are:

Google Analytics
Google Analytics anonymously tracks how visitors interact with a website, such as where they came from, what they did during their visit etc. Google Analytics does not track or store any personal information. For more information, please go to www.google.com/analytics

Course Search and Application
When submitting a course enquiry, users will need to enter simple personal information, such as name, date of birth etc. Our course search and application pages use a single secure session and data is submitted on a secure server on our admissions database. This is protected by our Data Protection Policy.

Social Media
Our social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook have their own cookie policies and anything that is entered or stored via cookies whilst using these sites (including sharing and bookmarking) is covered by their own procedures. Please refer to any of their help guides for further information please go to Facebook Cookie Policy/Help or Twitter Data Policy

Want to know more?
If you want to know more about the College's Cookie Policy please contact bbarnes@hartlepoolfe.ac.uk or alternatively phone 01429 295000 Ext 4232.