Langley School

About Langley School Website

The Langley School website is a comprehensive educational institution platform built on a modern WordPress architecture using the Roots ecosystem. This sophisticated web application serves as the primary digital presence for Langley School, providing prospective families, current students, and the broader community with essential information about the school’s programs, events, and educational philosophy.

The platform features a custom-built theme utilizing the Sage starter theme framework, delivering a seamless user experience across all devices. The website incorporates advanced content management capabilities through extensive use of Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) blocks, enabling content editors to create rich, interactive pages without technical expertise. Key features include dynamic open day registration systems, integrated calendar functionality, news and blog management, location-specific content delivery, and comprehensive contact management systems.

Built with performance and scalability in mind, the website leverages modern development practices including containerized development environments, automated deployment pipelines, and optimized asset compilation. The platform currently serves multiple school locations and supports complex content hierarchies, making it an essential tool for the school’s digital communication strategy and enrollment processes.

My Role

As the Lead Full-Stack Developer on this project, I was responsible for architecting and implementing a modern WordPress solution that would serve as the comprehensive digital platform for Langley School’s multi-location educational institution.

• WordPress Architecture Design - Implemented Roots Bedrock framework with modern PHP standards, creating a secure and maintainable codebase structure with improved folder organization and Composer-based dependency management
• Custom Theme Development - Built a sophisticated custom theme using Roots Sage framework with Laravel Blade templating, Tailwind CSS for responsive design, and Alpine.js for interactive frontend components
• Advanced Custom Fields Integration - Developed 40+ custom ACF blocks including Hero sections, Open Days management, Event Registration, Image Carousels, Video Tabs, Contact forms, and Location-specific content blocks for flexible content management
• Custom Post Types & Content Architecture - Created specialized post types for Open Days, Sidebar content, and Page Footers, along with comprehensive ACF field groups for theme options, menu management, and contact page configuration
• Modern Frontend Build System - Implemented Bud.js build system with Tailwind CSS, custom font integration (Gotham Ultra/Book, Oooh Baby), and optimized asset compilation with hot module replacement for development
• Containerized Development Environment - Architected Docker-based development stack using custom sysflow images for PHP 8.0, Nginx, and Node.js environments with automated dependency management and asset compilation
• Automated Deployment Pipeline - Designed and implemented Bitbucket Pipelines CI/CD system with atomic deployments, symlinked storage management, and automated build processes for seamless production releases
• Performance Optimization - Integrated WP Rocket caching, WebP Express image optimization, and custom performance enhancements to ensure fast loading times across all devices and locations
• Multi-location Content Management - Developed location-aware content systems with Google Maps integration, site-specific contact information, and dynamic content delivery based on school locations
• Third-party Integrations - Implemented Contact Form 7 for form handling, WordPress SEO optimization, Facebook Pixel integration, and ICS Calendar functionality for event management
• Security & Monitoring - Configured WP Sentry integration for error tracking, implemented security best practices with bcrypt password hashing, and established monitoring systems for production environments
• Code Quality & Standards - Established PHP CodeSniffer with PSR-12 standards, implemented Laravel Pint for code formatting, and created comprehensive development documentation for team collaboration

Technologies I worked with

• PHP / WordPress / Roots Bedrock / Roots Sage
• Laravel Acorn / Laravel Blade / Laravel Pint
• Advanced Custom Fields Pro / ACF Blocks
• Tailwind CSS / Alpine.js / Bud.js
• Node.js / Yarn / Composer
• Docker / Docker Compose / Nginx
• MySQL
• Bitbucket Pipelines / SSH
• PHP CodeSniffer
• WP Rocket / WebP Express / Contact Form 7
• WordPress SEO (Yoast) / ACF Content Analysis for Yoast SEO
• Facebook Pixel / ICS Calendar / WP Mail SMTP
• WP Sentry Integration / Query Monitor / Redirection
• PHPDotEnv / WP-CLI / Git / Bitbucket