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Cookie Policy (Public-Facing)

About Cookies:
Grays Medic Training Services (“we” or “our”) uses cookies and similar technologies on our websites (including our main site and online learning platform) to provide a smooth user experience and to help us understand how people use our services. This Cookie Policy explains what cookies are, which types we use, why we use them, and how you can manage your preferences. We abide by the UK Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) and UK GDPR regarding cookies, meaning we obtain consent for any cookies that are not strictly necessary for the website’s operation.

What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files placed on your device (computer, tablet, smartphone) when you visit a website. They allow the site to remember your actions or preferences over time. Cookies can be “first-party” (set by our website) or “third-party” (set by other services we use). They can also be session cookies (which expire when you close your browser) or persistent cookies (which remain on your device for a set period or until you delete them).

In addition to cookies, we might use similar tracking technologies like web beacons or local storage – for simplicity, we refer to all these as “cookies” in this policy.

Types of Cookies We Use

We aim to use a minimal number of cookies. Here are the categories of cookies on our site and what they do:

• Strictly Necessary Cookies: These cookies are essential for our website and learning platform to function properly. They enable core features such as page navigation, secure login, and load balancing. For example, when you log into your learning account on our Moodle platform, a session cookie is set (MoodleSession) so you can stay logged in as you navigate the course pages. These cookies do not gather information about you for marketing or remember where you’ve been on the internet. Because they are necessary for the service, we do not require your consent to use these, but we list them here for transparency. If you disable these cookies (through browser settings), parts of the site may not work.
• Preferences/Functionality Cookies: These cookies remember choices you make to improve your experience. For instance, the site might use a cookie to remember your preferred language or text size, or to keep you logged in on your device (if you select a “remember me” option). Another example could be a cookie that remembers if you’ve seen a notification banner so we don’t show it again. While these enhance usability, they are not strictly essential. We currently use very few of these, if any. If we do, we will ask for your consent unless the function is strictly necessary. Declining these cookies might mean you have to re-enter information or preferences each time.
• Performance/Analytics Cookies: We use these cookies to collect information about how visitors use our website, so we can improve it. For example, we use Google Analytics (a popular web analytics service) to gather anonymous statistics such as number of visits, which pages are popular, how long users stay on a page, and what sources bring traffic. These cookies (like _ga from Google) track such information without identifying you personally – we do not collect your name or email via analytics cookies, only aggregated usage data. Analytics cookies help us understand what we’re doing right or wrong on the site. Because these cookies are not essential, we only set them if you give consent when you first visit. If you opt out, we will respect that and not load analytics.
• Marketing/Targeting Cookies: We currently do not use any advertising cookies or targeted advertising on our website. We do not serve ads or engage in behavioral advertising that profiles you across other sites. If this changes in the future, we will update this policy and request your explicit consent before setting any marketing cookies. These types of cookies, in other contexts, help deliver relevant ads to users or measure the effectiveness of ad campaigns, but as of now, our site does not employ them.
• Third-Party Service Cookies: Some features on our site might involve third-party tools that set cookies. For example:

·         If we embed a YouTube video in a course or an article, YouTube may set cookies to track video views or remember your player settings.

·         Our site uses a cookie consent banner/tool (which might be provided by a third-party service) to remember your cookie preferences; this itself uses a cookie to save your choices (so that you’re not asked every time).

·         Social media “share” buttons (if present) might set cookies if you use them.

We list such cookies in our detailed cookie list (available on our website’s cookie settings page). Third-party cookies are controlled by the providers of those services, so we advise checking their privacy/cookie policies for more information. We ensure we only integrate third-party services that respect privacy and give us the ability to obtain consent where needed.

How We Obtain Consent for Cookies

Upon your first visit to our site, you will see a cookie consent banner or pop-up. This banner explains that we use cookies and asks for your consent for non-essential cookies (like analytics or functionality cookies). It provides an option to “Accept All,” as well as a way to manage preferences (e.g. “Accept only necessary cookies” or toggle specific categories on/off). We do not set non-essential cookies until you have made a choice.

Our approach follows ICO guidance: - Transparency: Our banner and this policy inform you in plain language what cookies are used and why. - Real Choice: You can choose to refuse analytics cookies and the site will still largely work (only necessary cookies will run). We do not use deceptive designs or pre-ticked boxes – consent for cookies must be a clear affirmative action from you. - Record of Consent: We keep a record of your cookie consent decision (typically via a cookie itself that just notes yes or no, and possibly a log on our backend). This is so we can demonstrate compliance and also so that you don’t get repeatedly asked on the same browser. However, note that if you clear your cookies or use a different device/browser, the consent tool will treat you as a new visitor and ask again, since we won’t have a record in that context.

If you ignore the banner and just continue using the site without making a choice, we will treat that as no consent for non-essential cookies (by default, we will not set them unless you explicitly opt in). The banner will remind you until you either accept or decline. We believe in a “privacy-first” default.

Managing and Withdrawing Consent

You have full control over your cookie preferences. Here are ways you can manage cookies on our site and others:

• Cookie Settings on Our Site: At any time, you can access our Cookie Settings (usually via a link in the footer of the website or within your account settings) to change your preferences. For example, if you initially accepted analytics cookies but later change your mind, you can toggle them off, and our site will stop using them and remove them where possible. Conversely, if you initially rejected something but now want to enable a feature, you can do that too. Any changes you make will be saved via the consent tool.
• Browser Settings: Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can typically:

·         Delete all cookies or cookies from a specific site.

·         Block cookies (all or just third-party cookies).

·         Set the browser to prompt you each time a cookie is offered.

Please note that if you delete cookies, any preference cookies (including our own cookie remembering your preferences) will be deleted too, so you may need to re-set preferences on our site. Blocking cookies entirely might affect functionality – for example, if you block even necessary cookies, our site’s login or shopping cart might not work.

• Opt-Out Options: For third-party analytics like Google Analytics, you can install browser add-ons (Google provides an opt-out add-on) to prevent data from being used by those scripts. We honor the choices you make via such tools as well.
• Do Not Track (DNT): Some browsers have a DNT setting that signals to websites that you do not want to be tracked. Currently, our site’s cookie consent mechanism is the primary way to manage cookies. We will treat any absence of consent as opt-out, as described, but we do not currently respond to DNT signals for cookie blocking. We recommend using the methods above for the most effective control.

Cookie List and Duration

For transparency, here is an overview of key cookies we use, their purpose, and how long they last (duration):

·         Necessary Cookies:

·         MoodleSession – Keeps you logged in to the e-learning platform. Expires when you log out or close your browser (session cookie).

·         GREYSTRAINING_COOKIECONSENT – Remembers your cookie consent preferences for our site. Duration: e.g. 6 months to 1 year (so we don’t ask every visit).

• (Other possible necessary cookies may include ones for load balancing or security, which would similarly expire after the session or a short time.)
• Analytics Cookies: (only set if consented)

·         _ga – Google Analytics identifier, used to distinguish users (anonymously). Duration: 2 years.

·         _gid – Google Analytics, distinguishes users on a day-by-day basis. Duration: 24 hours.

·         _gat – Google Analytics throttle request rate. Duration: 1 minute.

• (Plus any similar cookies if we use a different analytics tool or if Google Analytics updates their names; we will update the list accordingly.)
• Functionality Cookies: (if in use, for example)

·         language – Remembers language selection. Duration: until end of session or short period.

·         rememberusername (Moodle) – If enabled, remembers your username on login form. Duration: 1 year.

• We currently either do not use these or they are optional based on user choice (like a “remember me” checkbox).
• Third-Party Cookies:

·         If a YouTube video is embedded, YouTube may set cookies such as VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE (tries to estimate your bandwidth, duration ~6 months) or YSC (session, for keeping stats of videos watched).

·         If using a social share plugin, cookies from Facebook, Twitter, etc., might appear only if you use those features.

·         We do not have ads, so no ad network cookies should be present.

(The above is an example list; actual cookies and durations are maintained in our cookie consent tool interface for accuracy.)

We endeavor to keep this list up-to-date. If you notice a cookie on our site not listed, feel free to contact us so we can include it.

Changes to this Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy to reflect changes in technology or legislation, or if we start using new cookies. Major changes will be communicated via our website (e.g. a notice or updated banner). The “last updated” date will always be noted. By continuing to use our site, you acknowledge the Cookie Policy, but remember: you can adjust your preferences at any time.

Last Updated: 20 September 2025

If you have any questions about our use of cookies or how to manage them, you can reach out to us at privacy@graysmedic.com

 We want you to feel in control of your online privacy while still enjoying the functionality of our sites.