Site architecture for UK schools
Understanding Site Hierarchy & Organisation for UK Schools: Parent-First IA, Signals & Governance
Published by SEO for Schools • Author: Paul Delaney
Hierarchy is how your website explains itself. A clear structure lets parents reach tasks quickly and tells Google which pages matter. This hands-on, UK-focused guide shows school and MAT teams how to design sections, name pages, connect hubs and spokes with breadcrumbs, keep URLs clean, control what gets indexed, and govern everything at scale. It’s CMS-agnostic and friendly to accessibility standards and mobile users.
Goals & success measures
| Goal | Why it matters | How to measure |
|---|---|---|
| ≤ 3 clicks to key tasks | Parents get things done quickly | Manual user path testing; analytics pathing |
| Clear section ownership | Editors know where content belongs | Editorial workflow; reduced duplicates |
| One canonical page per concept | Stops ranking dilution and confusion | URL inventory; canonical tags; redirects |
| Stable, readable URLs | Easy to share; durable across years | Pattern audit |
| Strong Discovery & CTR | Search engines crawl/index priority pages; parents click | Search Console Coverage & Performance |
The hierarchy model: Home → Sections → Hubs → Spokes
Home
Front door with a short text intro that links to the top tasks. Use descriptive anchors: Term dates, Report an absence, Admissions. Reference: Google — Crawlable links.
Sections
Parent-friendly categories (e.g., Parents, Admissions, About, News, Contact). Keep to 5–7 items and 2 levels deep.
Hubs
One hub per task (e.g., Term dates, Absence, Uniform, Safeguarding). Hubs sit under a section and route to spokes.
Spokes
Supporting pages (e.g., Admissions timetable, In-year admissions, Sixth form entry requirements). The first paragraph links back to the hub; relevant spokes cross-link.
Add breadcrumb navigation on all non-home pages and mark up with BreadcrumbList. Reference: Google — Breadcrumb structured data.
Naming sections & pages (plain English)
| Rule | Example (good) | Instead of |
|---|---|---|
| Use words parents use | Term dates | Academic calendar |
| Front-load the noun | Admissions: how to apply | How to apply for admissions |
| Avoid jargon | Report an absence | Attendance notification portal |
| Use sentence case | Safeguarding | SAFEGUARDING |
| One concept per page | Uniform & PE kit | Parents → Resources → Documents → Uniform (buried) |
References: GOV. UK — Content design (plain English, headings) • WCAG — Link purpose in context.
URL schemes that match hierarchy
Reflect the hierarchy in your URLs. Keep them short, stable and readable.
| Section | Hub | Spoke | URL pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parents | Term dates | — | /term-dates/ |
| Parents | Absence | — | /absence/ |
| Admissions | Admissions (hub) | Key dates | /admissions/key-dates/ |
| About | Safeguarding | DSL contacts | /safeguarding/dsl-contacts/ |
Avoid dates in evergreen URLs (e.g., keep /term-dates/ and update the heading to 2025/26). Reference: Google — Organise your site hierarchy.
Hierarchy signals for search (links, headings, breadcrumbs)
Navigation & in-content links
Use real <a href> links in the menu, breadcrumbs and body copy. Avoid click-only JavaScript. Link to hubs from Home and section intros; link from spokes back to the hub in the first paragraph.
Reference: Google — Make your links crawlable.
Headings
Use one H1 per page that matches the title’s meaning (not necessarily verbatim). Subsequent H2/H3s reflect the structure of the content.
Reference: MDN — Heading elements.
Breadcrumbs
Display on all non-home pages, mark up with BreadcrumbList. They reinforce hierarchy for users and Google.
Context windows around links
Place a short sentence around important links (“See Term dates 2025/26 & INSET days for the full calendar”). Context aids understanding for users and algorithms.
Indexation: one canonical per concept
A tidy hierarchy still fails if duplicates compete. Consolidate signal to the canonical page.
| Scenario | Action | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Print views / tracking parameters | Add rel="canonical" to the main URL | Consolidates ranking signals |
| Thank-you or filtered list pages | Use <meta name="robots" content="noindex,follow"> | Keeps the crawl path but avoids index bloat |
| Old duplicate hubs | 301 redirect to the canonical hub | Transfers value; reduces confusion |
| Search results | Prefer noindex,follow over robots.txt block | Google must crawl to see the directive |
References: Google — Canonicalisation • Robots.txt overview.
Governance for MATs
| Area | Policy | Owner | Cadence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section set | All schools use: Parents, Admissions, News, About, Contact | Central SEO/Comms | Annual |
| Hub list | Term dates, Absence, Uniform, Safeguarding present on every school site | Web managers | Termly check |
| URL patterns | Shared slugs: /term-dates/, /absence/, /admissions/ | Dev/CMS | At build |
| Breadcrumbs | Enabled site-wide; BreadcrumbList markup | Dev/CMS | At build |
| Indexation | robots.txt template; only canonical URLs in XML sitemaps | SEO | Quarterly |
| Change control | URL changes require 301 plan and Search Console check | SEO + Web | Per change |
Measuring outcomes
Google Search Console
Check Indexing → Pages for important hubs stuck as “Crawled — currently not indexed”. Improve internal links and content if found. In Performance, filter by hub URLs (e.g., /term-dates/) and compare matched calendar periods before/after hierarchy changes.
Reference: GSC — Performance report.
Behaviour & satisfaction
Track menu click events, time to task, and user feedback via short polls (“Did you find what you were looking for?”). Shorter journeys and higher CTR indicate a stronger hierarchy.
Print-screen cards & templates
Hierarchy Ladder (copy & adapt)
Screenshot or print this card| Level | Items | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Home | Intro paragraph with links to Term dates, Absence, Admissions | Plain English |
| Sections | Parents • Admissions • News • About • Contact | Max 2 levels deep |
| Hubs | Term dates • Absence • Uniform • Safeguarding | One hub per task |
| Spokes | Admissions timetable • In-year • Sixth form | Spokes link back to hub |
Hierarchy QA — 16 Checks
Screenshot or print this card| 1. | Parents reach Term dates/Absence/Admissions in ≤3 clicks. |
| 2. | Menu labels use plain English and sentence case. |
| 3. | Menu depth ≤2 levels; no third-level flyouts. |
| 4. | One canonical hub per task; duplicates merged. |
| 5. | Hubs linked from Home, section intros and footer. |
| 6. | Spokes link back to hub in first paragraph. |
| 7. | Breadcrumbs displayed and marked up. |
| 8. | Clean, stable URLs reflect the hierarchy. |
| 9. | Thank-you/search pages are noindex,follow. |
| 10. | XML sitemap includes only canonical, index-worthy URLs. |
| 11. | No orphan pages within hubs/spokes. |
| 12. | Icons have visible text labels (no icon-only links). |
| 13. | Header/H1 matches the page’s purpose. |
| 14. | GSC Coverage improving; fewer “not indexed” for key hubs. |
| 15. | GSC CTR improving for hub queries (matched periods). |
| 16. | Change log maintained for URL/IA updates and redirects. |
URL Pattern Library
Screenshot or print this card| Page | Pattern |
|---|---|
| Term dates | /term-dates/ |
| Absence | /absence/ |
| Admissions hub | /admissions/ |
| Admissions key dates | /admissions/key-dates/ |
| Safeguarding | /safeguarding/ |
| Contact | /contact/ |
FAQs
Should we mirror our staff structure in the menu?
No. Organise around parent tasks, not departments. Department-based menus create duplication and deep paths.
Do we need separate sections for each campus?
Only when information genuinely differs. Otherwise, keep a single hub with campus details on the page and use clear labels (e.g., “Sixth Form — Ashford campus”).
Is a mega-menu good for SEO?
It depends on clarity. Keep it shallow (≤2 columns), link to hubs rather than every spoke, and ensure all items are real anchors.
Need practical SEO support?
Speak With Paul Delaney
Paul Delaney helps schools turn complex SEO into simple, effective actions. As a guest writer for SEO for Schools, Paul shares step-by-step playbooks and evidence-based guidance that busy teams can apply immediately. With three decades’ experience working with UK and international institutions, he understands the challenges school teams face and is well positioned to offer support and guidance.
For our readers, Paul offers free 30-minute sessions for institutions exploring how to raise visibility, strengthen brand trust and streamline admissions. Sessions are practical, jargon-free and free from sales pressure. You can contact him using the buttons below—please mention SEOforSchools.co.uk.
