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school_compare/nextjs-app/components/AdmissionsView.tsx
TudorandClaude Opus 5 dc22fd2853
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fix(home): correct what the landing page claims, and give it one rhythm
The homepage made four statements that were not true, carried elements that
asked nothing of anyone, and had a hero illustration that broke in both the
places it had to work.

Claims, all verified against the code or the API:

  * "24,000+ schools" (three places) against a real 27,230. The fact box meant
    to show the live figure rendered its own fallback on every request, because
    DataInfoResponse declared a `total_schools` field the API has never sent —
    it sends `unique_schools`. The fetch succeeded; only that field was
    undefined, so nothing threw and nothing failed. The interface, not the
    code, was the thing that was wrong.
  * "Up to three schools side by side" against MAX_SCHOOLS = 5, contradicting a
    card 400px below it that correctly said five.
  * "Class sizes" — data the codebase has never held. That copy line was the
    only hit in a full-repo grep.
  * Invented results and Ofsted grades attributed to two real, named schools
    in the compare preview.

Also one feature, three words: Compare (nav), shortlist (footer), pin (cards).
Settled on Compare everywhere. And <title> was the bare string "Home".

Cut: the trust line (repeated the coverage figure one paragraph after the hero
gave it, behind three decorative dots), the "Start exploring" row (three links
to two destinations already in the nav), the six-row coverage table, and three
of the four countdown cards — which gave the page's largest numeral to dates up
to 245 days away, two of them offer days, which cannot be missed. All four
dates remain, at proportionate weight. Value-prop titles drop from <h2> to <p>;
they were outranking the page's real headings in the document outline.

Rhythm: the gaps between the seven landing bands were 24/32/24/16/48/32/16px,
each band setting its own margin, with four different section-header
treatments between them. The page container now owns one gap, and there is one
header pattern. An e2e test asserts the gaps are identical.

Illustration: it kept a fixed light palette in both themes, which left a pale
sky slab as the brightest object on a near-black page, out-shouting the H1 and
the search box. It now reads from --ill-* tokens with a dark re-grade. And the
hero slot ranges from 1.34:1 to 4.9:1 across breakpoints, which no single
composition survives under `slice` — at 860x176 a 540x520 scene shows only its
bottom 110 units, so the schoolhouse was cropped away entirely on phones,
leaving hills and a pin pointing at nothing. There are now two compositions,
each drawn against the crop window its own breakpoint produces, with CSS
showing one. Both are static server-rendered SVG.

The deadline bar renders on the server rather than on hydrate. The effect-based
version needed a reserved height, and one guessed number cannot cover a block
whose supporting line wraps differently at every width — measured, it was short
at all four, shifting the page up to 108px on a phone.

Verified on the built output through an offline render harness (no local
server): real compiled CSS, real rendered markup, four widths, both themes.
tsc clean, 159/159 unit tests, build green.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-08-14 17:29:47 +01:00

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'use client';
import { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
import styles from './AdmissionsView.module.css';
/* ─── Date helpers ─────────────────────────────────────── */
function daysUntil(month: number, day: number): number {
const today = new Date();
today.setHours(0, 0, 0, 0);
const y = today.getFullYear();
let target = new Date(y, month - 1, day);
if (target < today) target = new Date(y + 1, month - 1, day);
return Math.round((target.getTime() - today.getTime()) / 86_400_000);
}
function nextDate(month: number, day: number): Date {
const today = new Date();
today.setHours(0, 0, 0, 0);
const y = today.getFullYear();
const target = new Date(y, month - 1, day);
if (target <= today) return new Date(y + 1, month - 1, day);
return target;
}
function fmtDate(month: number, day: number): string {
return nextDate(month, day).toLocaleDateString('en-GB', {
weekday: 'short',
day: 'numeric',
month: 'long',
year: 'numeric',
});
}
/* ─── Data ─────────────────────────────────────────────── */
interface Chip {
type: 'deadline' | 'offer';
track: string;
milestone: string;
month: number;
day: number;
}
const CHIPS: Chip[] = [
{ type: 'offer', track: 'Primary · Offer Day', milestone: 'Primary National Offer Day', month: 4, day: 16 },
{ type: 'deadline', track: 'Secondary · Deadline', milestone: 'Secondary applications close', month: 10, day: 31 },
{ type: 'deadline', track: 'Primary · Deadline', milestone: 'Primary applications close', month: 1, day: 15 },
{ type: 'offer', track: 'Secondary · Offer Day', milestone: 'Secondary National Offer Day', month: 3, day: 1 },
];
interface Step {
date?: string;
title: string;
body: string;
highlight?: 'deadline' | 'offer';
/* Easy-to-miss, deadline-sensitive warnings surfaced as callout boxes
rather than buried in the body prose. */
callouts?: { title: string; body: string }[];
/* How SchoolCompare helps at this stage of the journey */
tool?: { label: string; href: string };
}
const SECONDARY_STEPS: Step[] = [
{
title: 'Check entry criteria',
body: 'Look at each school\'s admissions policy — catchment areas, faith criteria, sibling priority, and aptitude tests vary widely.',
callouts: [
{
title: 'Selective schools register earlier',
body: 'Grammar and other selective schools need separate entrance-test registration months earlier — often by September, well before the 31 October deadline.',
},
{
title: 'Faith schools may need an extra form',
body: 'Many faith schools require a supplementary information form (SIF) sent directly to the school, on top of the council application.',
},
],
tool: { label: 'Find schools & view their admissions history', href: '/' },
},
{
date: 'September',
title: 'Portal opens',
body: 'Your local council opens its online admissions portal. Register early to avoid last-minute technical issues. You apply through your home council even if you prefer schools in neighbouring boroughs.',
tool: { label: 'Compare schools side by side', href: '/compare' },
},
{
date: '31 October',
title: 'Application deadline',
body: 'Submit your ranked list of schools — most councils allow three to six preferences (London boroughs typically six). Councils treat all preferences equally, so list schools in the genuine order you want them, not strategically.',
highlight: 'deadline',
tool: { label: 'Compare performance to order your preferences', href: '/rankings' },
},
{
date: '1 March',
title: 'National Offer Day',
body: 'Your allocated school appears on the council\'s online admissions portal and is sent by email. Release times are set by each council — often from late afternoon, though some publish overnight — so check your council\'s page rather than refreshing at midnight.',
highlight: 'offer',
tool: { label: 'Look up your allocated school', href: '/' },
},
{
date: '~15 March',
title: 'Accept or decline',
body: 'Respond by the deadline your council gives — typically around 15 March. Accepting does not prevent you from keeping a place on a waiting list for a preferred school.',
tool: { label: 'Weigh your offer against your other choices', href: '/compare' },
},
{
title: 'Appeals',
body: 'If unsuccessful, you can appeal within 20 school days of the refusal letter. Secondary appeals consider whether prejudice to the school outweighs your case — success rates vary.',
tool: { label: 'Gather performance evidence for your case', href: '/rankings' },
},
];
const PRIMARY_STEPS: Step[] = [
{
title: 'Research entry criteria',
body: 'Faith schools, language units, and distance-based catchments differ by school. Start by reading each school\'s admissions policy on their website or the council\'s website.',
callouts: [
{
title: 'Faith schools may need an extra form',
body: 'Many faith schools require a supplementary information form (SIF) sent directly to the school, in addition to the council application.',
},
],
tool: { label: 'Find schools & view their admissions history', href: '/' },
},
{
date: 'September',
title: 'Portal opens',
body: 'Apply through your home council\'s portal, even if your preferred school is in another borough. Most councils accept applications from September.',
tool: { label: 'Compare schools side by side', href: '/compare' },
},
{
date: '15 January',
title: 'Application deadline',
body: 'List up to 3–6 schools (the number varies by council) in genuine preference order. The equal preference rule means all preferences are considered before any offers are made.',
highlight: 'deadline',
tool: { label: 'Compare performance to order your preferences', href: '/rankings' },
},
{
date: '16 April',
title: 'National Offer Day',
body: 'Results are published online. Reception offers are sent on 16 April (or the next working day if that falls on a weekend or bank holiday).',
highlight: 'offer',
tool: { label: 'Look up your allocated school', href: '/' },
},
{
date: '~1 May',
title: 'Accept or decline',
body: 'Respond by your council\'s deadline, typically around 1 May. Accepting secures the place while you wait to see if a preferred school\'s waiting list moves.',
tool: { label: 'Weigh your offer against your other choices', href: '/compare' },
},
{
title: 'Appeals',
body: 'Infant class-size appeals (Reception to Year 2) have a very narrow legal test and a low success rate. For Year 3+, appeals follow the same process as secondary.',
tool: { label: 'Gather performance evidence for your case', href: '/rankings' },
},
];
interface Tip {
heading: string;
body: string;
}
const TIPS: Tip[] = [
{
heading: 'Equal preference rule',
body: 'Councils consider every school you list before making any offer, then give you the highest-ranked one you qualify for. Your order only decides which qualifying school you get — you can\'t game it, so list schools in the order you genuinely want them.',
},
{
heading: 'Late applications go to the back',
body: 'Submit before the deadline even if your child does not turn the required age until later in the year. Late applicants are only considered after all on-time applications.',
},
{
heading: 'Waiting lists',
body: 'You can go on waiting lists for multiple schools simultaneously. Lists are ordered by admissions criteria, not when you joined. They can move significantly over the summer.',
},
];
/* ─── Component ────────────────────────────────────────── */
const NAV_ITEMS = [
{ id: 'primary', label: 'Primary' },
{ id: 'secondary', label: 'Secondary' },
{ id: 'tips', label: 'Tips' },
] as const;
type NavId = typeof NAV_ITEMS[number]['id'];
export function AdmissionsView() {
const [chipDays, setChipDays] = useState<(number | null)[]>(CHIPS.map(() => null));
const [activeId, setActiveId] = useState<NavId>('primary');
useEffect(() => {
setChipDays(CHIPS.map(c => daysUntil(c.month, c.day)));
}, []);
useEffect(() => {
const sections = NAV_ITEMS
.map(item => document.getElementById(item.id))
.filter((el): el is HTMLElement => el !== null);
if (sections.length === 0) return;
const observer = new IntersectionObserver(
(entries) => {
const visible = entries
.filter(e => e.isIntersecting)
.sort((a, b) => b.intersectionRatio - a.intersectionRatio);
if (visible[0]) setActiveId(visible[0].target.id as NavId);
},
{ rootMargin: '-30% 0px -55% 0px', threshold: [0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1] },
);
sections.forEach(s => observer.observe(s));
return () => observer.disconnect();
}, []);
const handleNavClick = (e: React.MouseEvent<HTMLAnchorElement>, id: NavId) => {
e.preventDefault();
const el = document.getElementById(id);
if (!el) return;
const top = el.getBoundingClientRect().top + window.scrollY - 16;
window.scrollTo({ top, behavior: 'smooth' });
setActiveId(id);
};
return (
<div className={styles.shell}>
{/* In-page nav — sticky left rail on desktop, sticky top pills on mobile */}
<aside className={styles.nav} aria-label="On this page">
<div className={styles.navLabel}>On this page</div>
<ul className={styles.navList}>
{NAV_ITEMS.map(item => {
const isActive = activeId === item.id;
return (
<li key={item.id}>
<a
href={`#${item.id}`}
onClick={(e) => handleNavClick(e, item.id)}
className={[styles.navLink, isActive ? styles.navLinkActive : ''].filter(Boolean).join(' ')}
aria-current={isActive ? 'true' : undefined}
>
<span className={styles.navDot} aria-hidden="true" />
<span>{item.label}</span>
</a>
</li>
);
})}
</ul>
</aside>
<div className={styles.page}>
{/* Hero */}
<section className={styles.hero}>
<span className={styles.eyebrow}>
<span className={styles.eyebrowDot} aria-hidden="true" />
England · Primary &amp; Secondary
</span>
<h1 className={styles.heroTitle}>School Admissions Guide</h1>
<p className={styles.heroSub}>
Everything parents need to know about applying for a school place in England — from opening dates to National Offer Day, with live countdowns to every key milestone.
</p>
</section>
{/* Countdown strip */}
<section className={styles.countdownSection}>
<div className={styles.stripHeader}>
<span className={styles.stripLabel}>Days until next milestone</span>
</div>
<div className={styles.countdownRail}>
{CHIPS.map((chip, i) => {
const days = chipDays[i];
const isUrgent = days !== null && days <= 14;
const chipClass = [
styles.chip,
chip.type === 'deadline' ? styles.chipDeadline : styles.chipOffer,
isUrgent ? styles.chipUrgent : '',
].filter(Boolean).join(' ');
return (
<div key={chip.milestone} className={chipClass}>
<span className={[styles.chipTrack, chip.type === 'deadline' ? styles.chipTrackDeadline : styles.chipTrackOffer].join(' ')}>
<span className={styles.chipTrackDot} aria-hidden="true" />
{chip.track}
</span>
<div>
<span className={styles.chipDays}>{days === 0 ? 'Today' : (days ?? '—')}</span>
{days !== null && days > 0 && <span className={styles.chipDaysUnit}>days</span>}
</div>
<div className={styles.chipMilestone}>{chip.milestone}</div>
<div className={styles.chipDate}>{days !== null ? fmtDate(chip.month, chip.day) : ''}</div>
</div>
);
})}
</div>
</section>
{/* Primary track */}
<section id="primary" className={styles.track} style={{ scrollMarginTop: '1rem' }}>
<div className={styles.trackHeader}>
<div className={styles.trackHeaderLeft}>
<span className={styles.trackKicker}>Reception entry</span>
<h2 className={styles.trackTitle}>Primary school admissions</h2>
<p className={styles.trackSub}>For children starting Reception (Year R) in September. Applications are submitted in the autumn of the year before entry.</p>
</div>
<div className={styles.trackDates}>
<div className={styles.trackDateRow}>
<span className={styles.trackDateLabel}>Deadline</span>
<span className={styles.trackDateVal}>{fmtDate(1, 15)}</span>
</div>
<div className={styles.trackDateRow}>
<span className={styles.trackDateLabel}>Offer Day</span>
<span className={styles.trackDateVal}>{fmtDate(4, 16)}</span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<ol className={styles.timeline}>
{PRIMARY_STEPS.map((step, i) => (
<li key={i} className={[styles.step, step.highlight === 'deadline' ? styles.stepDeadline : step.highlight === 'offer' ? styles.stepOffer : ''].filter(Boolean).join(' ')}>
<div className={styles.stepDotCol}>
<div className={styles.stepDot} />
{i < PRIMARY_STEPS.length - 1 && <div className={styles.stepLine} />}
</div>
<div className={styles.stepContent}>
{step.date && <div className={styles.stepDate}>{step.date}</div>}
<div className={styles.stepTitle}>{step.title}</div>
<p className={styles.stepBody}>{step.body}</p>
{step.callouts && step.callouts.length > 0 && (
<div className={styles.calloutGroup}>
{step.callouts.map((c) => (
<div key={c.title} className={styles.callout}>
<span className={styles.calloutIcon} aria-hidden="true">!</span>
<div className={styles.calloutText}>
<div className={styles.calloutTitle}>{c.title}</div>
<p className={styles.calloutBody}>{c.body}</p>
</div>
</div>
))}
</div>
)}
{step.tool && (
<a
href={step.tool.href}
className={styles.stepTool}
data-umami-event="admissions_tool_clicked"
data-umami-event-target={step.tool.href}
>
{step.tool.label}
<span className={styles.stepToolArrow} aria-hidden="true">→</span>
</a>
)}
</div>
</li>
))}
</ol>
</section>
{/* Secondary track */}
<section id="secondary" className={styles.track} style={{ scrollMarginTop: '1rem' }}>
<div className={styles.trackHeader}>
<div className={styles.trackHeaderLeft}>
<span className={styles.trackKicker}>Year 7 entry</span>
<h2 className={styles.trackTitle}>Secondary school admissions</h2>
<p className={styles.trackSub}>For children starting secondary school (Year 7) in September. Applications are submitted in the autumn of Year 6.</p>
</div>
<div className={styles.trackDates}>
<div className={styles.trackDateRow}>
<span className={styles.trackDateLabel}>Deadline</span>
<span className={styles.trackDateVal}>{fmtDate(10, 31)}</span>
</div>
<div className={styles.trackDateRow}>
<span className={styles.trackDateLabel}>Offer Day</span>
<span className={styles.trackDateVal}>{fmtDate(3, 1)}</span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<ol className={styles.timeline}>
{SECONDARY_STEPS.map((step, i) => (
<li key={i} className={[styles.step, step.highlight === 'deadline' ? styles.stepDeadline : step.highlight === 'offer' ? styles.stepOffer : ''].filter(Boolean).join(' ')}>
<div className={styles.stepDotCol}>
<div className={styles.stepDot} />
{i < SECONDARY_STEPS.length - 1 && <div className={styles.stepLine} />}
</div>
<div className={styles.stepContent}>
{step.date && <div className={styles.stepDate}>{step.date}</div>}
<div className={styles.stepTitle}>{step.title}</div>
<p className={styles.stepBody}>{step.body}</p>
{step.callouts && step.callouts.length > 0 && (
<div className={styles.calloutGroup}>
{step.callouts.map((c) => (
<div key={c.title} className={styles.callout}>
<span className={styles.calloutIcon} aria-hidden="true">!</span>
<div className={styles.calloutText}>
<div className={styles.calloutTitle}>{c.title}</div>
<p className={styles.calloutBody}>{c.body}</p>
</div>
</div>
))}
</div>
)}
{step.tool && (
<a
href={step.tool.href}
className={styles.stepTool}
data-umami-event="admissions_tool_clicked"
data-umami-event-target={step.tool.href}
>
{step.tool.label}
<span className={styles.stepToolArrow} aria-hidden="true">→</span>
</a>
)}
</div>
</li>
))}
</ol>
</section>
{/* Tips */}
<section id="tips" className={styles.tips} style={{ scrollMarginTop: '1rem' }}>
<h2 className={styles.tipsHeading}>Three things most parents get wrong</h2>
<div className={styles.tipsGrid}>
{TIPS.map((tip, i) => (
<div key={i} className={styles.tipCard}>
<div className={styles.tipNumber}>{String(i + 1).padStart(2, '0')}</div>
<h3 className={styles.tipHeading}>{tip.heading}</h3>
<p className={styles.tipBody}>{tip.body}</p>
</div>
))}
</div>
</section>
</div>
</div>
);
}