diff --git a/lib/classes/navigation/views/secondary.php b/lib/classes/navigation/views/secondary.php
index 2ff59feedc5..1ab7aa84359 100644
--- a/lib/classes/navigation/views/secondary.php
+++ b/lib/classes/navigation/views/secondary.php
@@ -626,13 +626,15 @@ class secondary extends view {
      * Load the site admin navigation
      */
     protected function load_admin_navigation(): void {
+        global $PAGE;
+
         $settingsnav = $this->page->settingsnav;
         $node = $settingsnav->find('root', self::TYPE_SITE_ADMIN);
         // We need to know if we are on the main site admin search page. Here the navigation between tabs are done via
         // anchors and page reload doesn't happen. On every nested admin settings page, the secondary nav needs to
         // exist as links with anchors appended in order to redirect back to the admin search page and the corresponding
-        // tab.
-        $isadminsearchpage = $this->page->pagetype === 'admin-search';
+        // tab. Note this value refers to being present on the page itself, before a search has been performed.
+        $isadminsearchpage = $PAGE->url->compare(new \moodle_url('/admin/search.php', ['query' => '']), URL_MATCH_PARAMS);
         if ($node) {
             $siteadminnode = $this->add($node->text, "#link$node->key", null, null, 'siteadminnode');
             if ($isadminsearchpage) {