Dignity
You will be treated as the accomplished adult you have always been. The brand does not refer to its members as seniors, beginners, or anything else that defines them by what they cannot do.
A daily school for accomplished adults
A daily class. A weekly workshop. A drop in clinic. Somewhere serious to learn the technology of modern life.
The Compass Academy is a school for adults who would like to feel competent again with technology. We teach a thirty minute class every weekday morning. We hold drop in clinics twice a day. Once a quarter, we gather in person, in London, Edinburgh and Dublin.
Photography for The Compass Academy.
Today, Wednesday 17 May
Why your phone's photo library has become a problem, and how to fix it
Sarah MendelFoundation classes, May
What is Compass
The Compass Academy is a school. It teaches adults the things modern life has come to assume they already know, on the subjects of phones, computers, smart televisions, home networks, online security, photographs, email, and the artificial intelligence tools that are quietly changing how a working day is done.
It teaches by daily class, weekly workshop, twice daily drop in clinic, and quarterly seminar. The teaching is live. The instructors are named. The pace is deliberate. The tone is calm. The promise is that you will be treated as the accomplished adult you are, and that you will, over time, feel competent again.
Membership begins at thirty pounds a month. The first month is on us.
Read more about how it began.
Patience
No question is foolish. Nothing is rushed. The classes move at the pace of a thoughtful person explaining something to a friend, in a comfortable room.
Craft
Every class has been written, not winged. Every studio shot is composed. Every printed page is properly typeset. The production is visibly considered.
Mastery
The promise is not that you will use your phone. The promise is that you will, over time, become the most competent person in your house with technology, and quietly enjoy it.
Community
You will know your instructors by name. They will know yours. The drop in clinics put you in a room with other members. The brand has a face, in real venues, four times a year.
The people we serve
Photography for Compass.
Photography for Compass.
Photography for Compass.
Photography for Compass.
Our members are adults who have built capable lives. We are built for them.
Every weekday morning
The daily class
Thirty minutes, live, taught by a named instructor in our studio. One topic at a time, taken slowly. You can join from your kitchen, your study, or wherever you read the morning paper. The class is also recorded, so the day's topic stays in the library for as long as you want it. Most members find that joining the daily class becomes a small daily ritual within their first month.
Every Saturday morning
The weekly workshop
Two hours, live, on a substantial topic. A Saturday morning spent properly understanding home networking, or online banking security, or the photo libraries that have built up across three devices. Workshops are where the daily class's habit converts into mastery. They are also where instructor relationships compound, because members see their teachers from the daily class in a longer setting.
Twice a day
The drop in clinic
One hour, mid morning and early evening. Bring your own problem. A panel of two instructors works through whatever the audience walks in with. My email will not sync. My iPad is doing something strange. I think I have been scammed. The clinic is the format that defines the brand's character, because no question is treated as foolish.
Once a quarter
The quarterly seminar
Half a day, in person, in London, Edinburgh and Dublin. A flagship event with a published programme, beautifully produced, in a real venue with proper coffee. The seminars are where the brand becomes a thing one attends, not just subscribes to. Full members receive priority booking.
Our next seminar
A morning with Compass
Saturday 14 June 2026, The Royal Institution, London
Half a day in the company of our instructors, exploring the technology questions our members raise most often. A keynote on artificial intelligence and how to think about it well. Three breakout sessions on home networks, online security, and photographs. Coffee, lunch, and the company of others who care about getting these things right.
See the programme.From the founder
A note from me. I started the academy because I noticed that there was no premium product in the category of teaching technology to adults who had built capable lives. There were free schemes, mass market platforms, and manufacturer help desks. There was nothing that treated this audience the way the audience deserved to be treated. We are trying, with the academy, to build that thing. If you would like to see what we are doing, the best way is to attend Monday's class, free of charge, as our guest. We will be glad to have you.
Darren
Press coverage will appear here as the academy is written about.
Membership
Join us, on a month's trial.
Membership begins at thirty pounds a month. You can attend the daily class, the weekly workshops, and the lunch and learn. You can watch any class in the library, at any time. The full membership, at fifty pounds a month, also includes the twice daily clinics and the printed quarterly. The first month is on us. You can stop at any time. There is no contract beyond the month you are in.
