Cookie Policy
Last updated: 7 August 2026
This Cookie Policy explains how Schoolect ("we", "us", and "our") uses cookies and similar technologies, including data stored in your browser. It explains what these technologies are, why we use them, and how you can control them.
What are cookies?
Cookies are small data files placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work, to make them work more efficiently, and to provide reporting information.
Cookies set by the website owner (in this case, Schoolect) are called "first-party cookies". Cookies set by anyone else are called "third-party cookies". Third-party cookies let another company provide a feature on our site, such as security checks or payments.
Websites can also store data in your browser without using cookies, through what is called local storage. That data stays on your device and is not sent to our servers with every request. We use local storage more than we use cookies, so this policy covers both.
Why do we use cookies?
Some cookies are needed for the site to work at all, such as keeping you signed in and protecting the sign-in form from bots. We refer to these as "essential" or "strictly necessary". Others help us understand how visitors use the site so we can improve it, or measure whether people who click one of our ads go on to sign up. Those are optional, and we only use them if you accept cookies.
Cookies we use
Essential cookies
These are set whether or not you accept cookies, because the site cannot work without them. They do not track you across other websites.
| Name | Set by | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| sb-*-auth-token | Schoolect (Supabase) | Keeps you signed in and identifies your account on each request. Without it you would be signed out on every page. | Up to 1 year |
| __cf_bm | Cloudflare | Tells automated traffic apart from real visitors so we can keep the site available. | 30 minutes |
| cf_clearance | Cloudflare | Records that your browser has passed a security check, so you are not challenged repeatedly. | Up to 1 year |
| cf_chl_* | Cloudflare Turnstile | Runs the security check on the sign-in form and on a search run without an account, which stops bots requesting sign-in codes and running searches. | Session |
| __Host-schoolect_gid | Schoolect | Identifies your browser so a search run without an account can be counted against the free weekly allowance. It holds a random value, not your name or address, and is cleared when you create an account. | Up to 180 days |
| __Host-st_* | Schoolect | Proves a search you ran without an account belongs to this browser, so you can reopen the results. One per search, and it is cleared when the search moves into your account. | Up to 30 days |
Payment cookies
When you buy a pass, we hand you over to Stripe's own checkout page to take the payment. Stripe sets the following cookies on that page for fraud prevention. They are governed by Stripe's privacy policy, not this one.
| Name | Set by | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| __stripe_mid | Stripe | Identifies the browser for fraud prevention while you complete a payment. | 1 year |
| __stripe_sid | Stripe | Identifies the current checkout session for fraud prevention. | 30 minutes |
Analytics
We use PostHog to count visits and understand which pages people find useful. PostHog is set to store its data in your browser's local storage rather than in cookies, so it does not set any analytics cookies. It is switched off by default and only starts collecting anything if you accept cookies. The keys it writes are listed under browser storage below.
Advertising measurement
We advertise Schoolect on Google. If you accept cookies, we load Google's conversion tag so we can tell how many people who clicked one of our ads went on to sign up. If you decline, the tag is never loaded and this cookie is never set.
| Name | Set by | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| _gcl_au | Records that a visit came from one of our ads, so we can measure how many people who click an ad go on to sign up. | 90 days |
Browser storage we use
These are stored in your browser's local storage rather than as cookies. They stay on your device until you clear your browser data, and they are not sent to our servers unless you take an action that needs them, such as sharing your shortlist.
| Name | Set by | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| schoolect_cookie_consent | Schoolect | Remembers whether you accepted or declined cookies. | Until cleared |
| schoolect_shortlist | Schoolect | Holds the schools on your shortlist as school identifiers, so your list survives a refresh. | Until cleared |
| schoolect_catchment_address | Schoolect | Holds the address you last used to check a catchment, so you do not have to type it again. This is an address you typed, and it stays on your device. | Until cleared |
| schoolect_schools_previous_address | Schoolect | Holds the previous address used to browse schools, for the same reason. | Until cleared |
| schoolect_find_results_view | Schoolect | Remembers whether you prefer results as cards or as a table. | Until cleared |
| schoolect_filter_nudge_dismissed | Schoolect | Remembers that you dismissed a hint, so it does not come back. | Until cleared |
| ph_* | PostHog | Holds an anonymous analytics identifier and session details. Only written if you accept cookies. | Until cleared |
How can you control cookies?
When you first visit our website, a banner asks whether you accept optional cookies. You can accept or decline at that time. If you decline, we do not load analytics or the advertising conversion tag. Essential cookies are still set, because the site cannot function without them.
To change your choice later, clear the site data for schoolect.com.au in your browser. The banner will then appear again on your next visit. You can also contact us and we will help.
You can also decide whether to accept or reject cookies through your browser settings. To find out more about cookies, including how to see which cookies have been set, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.
Browser controls
You can set or amend your browser controls to accept or refuse cookies. If you reject cookies you can still use our website, though some functionality may be restricted. How you refuse cookies varies from browser to browser, so check your browser's help menu. These links may help:
Web beacons
Cookies are not the only way to recognise visitors. We may also use web beacons (sometimes called "tracking pixels" or "clear gifs"), which are tiny image files that tell us when someone has opened an email we sent. These technologies often rely on cookies, so declining cookies will impair how they work.
Advertising
We do not show third-party ads on Schoolect, and we do not sell your information to advertisers or use cookies to build an advertising profile of you.
We do advertise Schoolect elsewhere. As described above, if you accept cookies we load Google's conversion tag so we can measure how well those ads work. Google may use that information in line with its own policies. Declining cookies stops this entirely.
Updates to this policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes to the cookies we use, or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. The date at the top indicates when it was last updated.