Privacy

SchoolPatch does not set any cookies and does not use analytics or advertising trackers, so there is no cookie banner to dismiss.

To make the features you use work, SchoolPatch keeps a few things in your browser's local storage on this device only:

• Your shortlist: schools you save with the heart button.
• Your application plan: the schools you rank on the plan page, in your order.
• Saved searches: searches you choose to save.
• Your last searched location: the place you last searched, so distances to schools can be shown on profile, compare and plan pages.
• Hidden reminders: whether you've closed the application-deadline banner, so it stays closed for that season.

When you share a comparison or an application plan, the link contains only the schools' ID numbers and their order. It never includes your location.

This information is never sent to us or anyone else. It isn't synced between devices, and you can delete it at any time:

Clearing your browser's site data for this website also removes it.

When you search for a postcode or place, or look at an area, our server uses that location to look up public data. It sends the location, not anything about you, to these services:

• postcodes.io (postcode and place lookup)
• data.police.uk (crime statistics)
• HM Land Registry (sold prices)
• Overpass API (nearby amenities from OpenStreetMap)

These requests come from our server, so these services don't see your IP address. Results are cached briefly to reduce repeat requests.

“Use my location” asks your browser for permission first. If you allow it, your position is rounded to about 100 metres before it is used, so your precise location is never sent, stored or shown in the page address.

The location you searched appears in the page address (for example ?label=Horsham) so searches can be bookmarked and shared. Bear that in mind if you share a link.

Map images are loaded directly by your browser from OpenFreeMap, so OpenFreeMap receives your IP address and the map area you are viewing, as with any website you visit. OpenFreeMap does not use cookies.

The site is hosted by Netlify, which processes standard technical information (such as IP addresses and the pages requested) to deliver the site and protect it from abuse. We don't use this information to identify or profile visitors.

School profiles link to official sources such as the Department for Education, Ofsted and school websites. Those sites have their own privacy policies.

Because we don't collect accounts or personal details, there is usually nothing about you for us to hold. Your saved data lives in your browser, and you control it using the button above. You can also contact the Information Commissioner's Office.