How do you build a new Umbraco website for one of the best mavo schools in Rotterdam — without losing that idiosyncratic look

How do you build a new website for the best mavo in Rotterdam — without losing that idiosyncratic look?

De Toorop Mavo has been among the top excellent secondary schools for years. A school with character, high ambitions and a loyal following. After years on an outdated site, it was finally time for something new. But it had to be something that truly suits the Toorop — not a standard site that looks like all the other school websites.

What was the assignment?

The Toorop is part of SARO, so the new site had to connect technically to the central Umbraco multisite. But in terms of content and visuals, it had to fully radiate the Toorop identity. Its own, recognisable, a touch idiosyncratic. That's a fun puzzle.

What did ZAAKS! do?

Together with the school and the SARO team, we built the new site in Umbraco 13, fully integrated into the SARO multisite. The Toorop has its own house style, its own navigation structure and its own content managers. Technically, the school benefits from all the advantages of the central infrastructure: shared updates, central security, no hassle.

What was the result?

A website that feels exactly like the school: confident, clear and just a little different from the rest. And the editorial team? They can publish news, adjust pages and keep the site up to date themselves — without calling us for little things.

• Own design and identity, integrated into the SARO multisite
• Umbraco 13 — stable and easy to manage
• School editorial team manages independently, without technical knowledge
• Central updates and security via the SARO infrastructure