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Archimedes is a Drupal CMS site template built specifically for education providers, including primary schools, secondary schools, and day facilities. Its purpose is to provide a clear and effective platform for keeping parents, teachers, staff, and the wider school community informed about key information and events.
The template offers a robust foundation for building school websites, educational resource hubs, and community portals with minimal setup effort. It includes example content and preconfigured structures to help content creators quickly publish high-quality pages.
By combining configuration, design components, and carefully selected contributed modules, Archimedes enables educational institutions to launch a professional Drupal website significantly faster than building from scratch.
Key Highlights include:
- Preconfigured Drupal CMS recipes and modules: Built on the latest Drupal 11 standards to ensure stability, performance, and long-term maintainability.
- Canvas-based visual layout components: Enables editors to create rich, component-driven landing pages and bespoke content layouts without requiring development or coding expertise.
- Eureka Design System integration: Includes a modern, accessible frontend theme tailored to the needs of educational environments.
- Comprehensive content ecosystem: Out-of-the-box support for:
- News and blog content
- Vacancy listings
- Flexible, unstructured landing pages
- Automated workflows: Uses ECA (Event Condition Action) to support configurable site logic, notifications, and automation.
- Professional communication tools: Integrated Easy Email support and robust anti-spam protections, including Honeypot.
- SEO and media ready: Preconfigured Pathauto, Metatag, and Media Library to support a strong and polished digital presence.
- Privacy-focused: Built-in cookie consent functionality via Klaro to support compliance requirements
Typical use cases include:
- Primary and secondary school websites
- Educational resource and knowledge hubs
- School district or multi-academy trust portals
- Teacher and staff recruitment platforms
- School community and alumni engagement sites
Features
The template is developed by Zoocha, an organisation certified to ISO 27701 for Privacy Information Management. This certification reflects Zoocha’s commitment to responsible data governance, effective risk management, and the protection of personal information.
While regulatory compliance ultimately depends on implementation choices, hosting environment, and operational practices, Archimedes provides a robust technical foundation for privacy-focused and security-conscious educational institutions.
The template is developed by Zoocha, an organisation certified to ISO 27001 (Information Security Management), ISO 27701 (Privacy Information Management), ISO 9001 (Quality Management), ISO 20000 (Service Management), ISO 22301 (Business Continuity), and ISO 14001 (Environmental Management). These certifications reflect a mature and audited approach to risk management, secure development practices, and operational resilience.
While overall security depends on hosting, maintenance, and operational processes, Archimedes provides a robust and security-conscious foundation for educational institutions deploying Drupal.
Support
FAQ
What is the Archimedes Site Template?
Archimedes is a preconfigured Drupal CMS site template designed specifically for educational institutions. It provides a structured starting point for school websites, including content types, layouts, design components, and editorial workflows tailored to the needs of schools and educational organisations.
It is intended to accelerate delivery while maintaining flexibility, accessibility, and best practice Drupal standards.
Who is this template designed for?
Archimedes is ideal for:
- Primary and secondary schools
- Independent schools
- Multi-academy trusts
- Further education providers
- Educational community organisations
The template supports both standalone school websites and multi-site educational estates.
What version of Drupal does it support?
Archimedes is built for Drupal 11 and follows modern Drupal best practices. It leverages Drupal CMS recipes, contributed modules, and structured configuration to ensure long-term maintainability and upgrade compatibility.
Does this template require coding knowledge to use?
No. Archimedes includes Canvas-based layout components and preconfigured content structures that allow content editors to build and manage pages without development expertise.
Editors can create landing pages, publish news, manage vacancies, and update school information through Drupal’s administrative interface.
Can the design be customised?
Yes. The template is built using the Eureka Design System and Emulsify tooling, allowing for:
- Branding adjustments such as colours, typography, and logos
- Layout configuration changes
- Component-level design refinements
- Full frontend theming if required
The template provides a strong foundation but does not restrict visual or functional customisation.
Does the template support accessibility standards?
Archimedes is designed with accessibility in mind and aims to support WCAG 2.2 AA standards when properly implemented and maintained.
Accessibility features include:
- Semantic markup
- Keyboard navigability
- Accessible component patterns
- Structured content models
Final compliance depends on implementation choices and content quality.
Is the template secure?
Archimedes is built using Drupal core and contributed modules covered by Drupal’s security advisory policy, where applicable.
Security best practices supported include:
- Role-based permissions
- Anti-spam protection with Honeypot
- Secure configuration defaults
- Regular module update compatibility
As with any Drupal site, ongoing maintenance and security updates are required.
Does Archimedes support privacy and cookie compliance?
Yes. The template includes integration with Klaro for cookie consent management, helping organisations meet GDPR and similar privacy regulations.
It also uses structured forms and configurable data handling, allowing schools to implement appropriate privacy policies and retention processes.
What content types are included out of the box?
Archimedes includes preconfigured content structures for:
- News and blog articles
- Vacancies and recruitment listings
- Flexible landing pages
- Standard informational pages
These structures can be extended or modified to meet specific institutional needs.
Can this template support multi-site or multi-school setups?
Yes. Drupal supports multi-site architecture, and Archimedes can be used as a standardised base across multiple schools or academies within a trust. Shared governance, branding frameworks, and component libraries can be centrally managed if required.
Is hosting included?
No. Archimedes is a Drupal site template and does not include hosting.
It can be deployed to any Drupal-compatible hosting environment, including cloud-based platforms and enterprise hosting solutions.
Is support available?
Zoocha offers consultancy, implementation services, and ongoing support services for organisations adopting Archimedes. This can include:
- Drupal implementation
- Migrations to Drupal
- Design customisation
- Drupal consultancy
- Accessibility auditing
- Ongoing Drupal maintenance and support
Please contact Zoocha for further information regarding commercial support options.
