COMPASS INTERNATIONAL LTD

Compass School Management Information System

Compass is the cloud MIS helping schools stay organised, compliant and connected. Track students, manage staff, build reports, complete statutory returns, engage families and manage payments in one place. It’s not just a system; it’s a partner that helps your team move faster, with confidence.

Features

• Statutory Reporting: compliant records, with error and query validation.
• Admissions: automate school intake and transfers.
• Attendance: track student whereabouts, with intelligent information detection.
• Wellbeing: manage student wellbeing, health, safeguarding and behaviour.
• Attainment: track progress and analyse performance for individuals and groups.
• Reporting: gain insight and recognise trends against key KPI's.
• Parents/Students/Staff: easy app based interfaces for school information.
• Communication: email, letters and SMS, with personalised templates.
• Payments & Consent: trips, clubs, events and meal booking.
• Wonde, Groupcall, O365, Google and other 3rd party integrations.

Benefits

• 40+ modules going beyond essential MIS tasks to save time.
• Keep the school community engaged
• Track and report student wellbeing, safeguarding and behaviour
• Access school data anywhere, anytime
• Reduce costs with integrated hardware
• Remove data silos by replacing multiple systems with one
• Easily handle day-to-day school operations
• Seamlessly monitor student progress
• Make informed decisions and proactive interventions.
• Minimise the burden of admin, risk mitigation and statutory compliance

• Education pricing available
• Free trial available

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at tendersuk@compass.education. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 15

Service ID

713543062263886

Contact

Claire Wensley
0114 697 7000
tendersuk@compass.education

About your service

• Service categories:

  Applications

  Production and operations

  Service industry and public sector operations

  • Education
• Multi cloud support: Yes

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: No
• Cloud deployment model: Hybrid cloud
• Service constraints: We recommend users work in Chrome or Microsoft Edge browsers, with a minimum internet bandwidth of 2MB, but there are no known hardware constraints.
• System requirements:
  • Recommended browser: Chrome or Microsoft Edge
  • Recommended internet bandwidth: 2MB
  • Native apps for iOS and Android

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Yes
• Support response times: Compass aims to respond to all support enquiries as quickly as possible. Email, phone, and live chat support are available Monday to Friday, 8:00am–5:00pm and are delivered by an experienced Customer Support team. Support is not provided at weekends, and response times apply to business days only.; ; Our Service Level Agreement (maximum response time) is 1 working hour for urgent queries, rising to 24 working hours for low-priority queries. Live chat enquiries have a 10 minute target response time. Customers can access Terry, Compass’s chatbot 24/7, which may resolve queries immediately. Issues escalated to development may fall outside standard SLAs.
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: No
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
• Web chat support: Yes
• Web chat support availability: 24 hours, 7 days a week
• Web chat support accessibility standard: WCAG 2.2 A
• Web chat accessibility testing: We have a dedicated engineering team focused on front-end user experience and accessibility across Compass, including our support areas. This team actively tests the platform with a range of assistive technologies, such as keyboard navigation and colour-contrast and colour-blindness settings, as part of our ongoing development and improvement work.
• Onsite support: Yes
• Support levels: All Compass MIS licences include access to comprehensive support at no additional cost. ; ; Compass delivers a whole-school service desk covering 1st, 2nd and 3rd line support, ensuring efficient issue resolution without unnecessary escalation. Support is available Monday to Friday, 8:00am–5:00pm (UK business hours) and is delivered by Compass-trained specialists with deep expertise in education and the Compass platform. ; ; Additional support is available through Compass’s online knowledge base, which includes help articles, on-demand webinars, and video tutorials. This enables schools to self-serve where appropriate and continuously upskill staff. ; ; Each school is assigned a dedicated Client Consultant, who acts as the primary point of contact and oversees the ongoing partnership. While Compass does not provide a separate Technical Account Manager or Cloud Support Engineer as a standalone role, the Client Consultant works closely with Compass’s internal technical and support teams to ensure technical issues are effectively managed. ; ; Organisations may alternatively choose to receive support via an accredited Compass Support Partner.
• Support available to third parties: Yes
• AI chatbot: Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: The Compass onboarding process is led by a dedicated Onboarding Consultant, who works closely with the school’s key stakeholders to agree a detailed project plan and manage delivery from implementation through to go-live. Compass provides a comprehensive data migration service, including direct data extraction from the incumbent MIS. The onboarding team works with the school to confirm which data sets are required and provides guidance throughout the migration process.; ; Training is delivered through a flexible, blended approach tailored to the needs of the school. This includes live online training sessions and recorded webinars, provided before and after go-live, to support different user roles and levels of experience. During the first term, the Customer Success team conducts regular check-ins to review progress, answer questions, and ensure successful adoption of the system. Additional post-launch training can be provided for more advanced areas, such as reporting or trust-wide administration.; ; Compass also provides online user documentation, including help articles, videos, and in-system guidance, accessible via the platform. On-site training is available upon request at an additional cost, and further tailored training options can be arranged to ensure staff are fully confident using Compass MIS.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats:
  • PDF
  • Other
• Other documentation formats:
  • Searchable 'Knowledge Base'
  • Video instructions & guides
  • Live webinars and pre-recorded library of webinars
  • In-app walkthroughs and information
• End-of-contract data extraction: When a contract ends, Compass ensures schools can extract and retain their data easily and securely. Users have access to a comprehensive range of data exports directly within the Compass platform, allowing them to download their data in commonly used formats for ongoing access to records and information.; ; Standard export options include:; ; Common Transfer Files (CTFs) for pupil data; ; XML files (for example, Census submissions); ; CSV files, which can be opened and used in Excel; ; API access for programmatic data extraction; ; Pre-built extracts for third-party systems (for example, integrations such as ParentPay); ; If a required dataset is not available through the standard export options, Compass’ Customer Success team can assist with additional data extractions upon request. This support ensures schools can retrieve all relevant data in a timely, usable format when transitioning off the platform.
• End-of-contract process: At the end of a contract, schools may either re-tender or elect to roll over their agreement with Compass. If a school chooses to remain with Compass, service and support continue as normal, with no disruption to access or functionality.; If a school chooses to transition away from Compass, there are no additional charges at the end of the contract. The majority of offboarding activities, including data exports, can be completed directly by users within the Compass platform at no cost. Where required, the Compass team will assist in facilitating the closure of the Compass portal and supporting a smooth and orderly transition off the platform.; All standard end-of-contract activities are included within the contract price. Additional costs are not applied for offboarding or data extraction support.
• Documentation accessibility standard: WCAG 2.2 A

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
  • Opera
  • Other
• Application to install: No
• Designed for use on mobile devices: Yes
• Differences between the mobile and desktop service: The Compass app provides the whole school community with a single, secure location for school-related information. There are 3 user types in Compass: Staff, Student and Parent - each having their own level of functionality, relevant to the user type. Each staff account is allocated an additional level of access determined by; Role Group.; ; Parent: manages anything from communications through to payments, trips and academic information.; ; Staff: provides flexibility in the classroom, or for remote working, using the Compass app to take registers, enter wellbeing entries and access mark-books.; ; The Compass desktop site can also be run on mobile devices.
• Service interface: Yes
• User support accessibility: None or don’t know
• Description of service interface: Compass provides a clean, intuitive and accessible experience for all users. The platform is optimised to help staff become more efficient, driven by single data-entry points and smart information detection to inform all processes and roles within the school.Additionally, ; ; Compass has a modular structure, accessible via a user-friendly navigation bar.; ; The efficient search function allows for rapid access to key information, including student & staff records, classes; and more.; ; The home page provides quick and easy access to all required information and insights during a school day.
• Accessibility standards: None or don’t know
• Description of accessibility: The Compass platform is compatible with most native operating system accessibility features, which include but are; not limited to font re-sizing, browser colouring, voiceover, screen readers and keyboard navigation.
• Accessibility testing: Compass works closely with a large number of SEN schools and Alternative Provision organisations, supporting students, parents, and staff with a wide range of additional needs and disabilities. We actively gather feedback from these users through structured pilots, workshops, and ongoing engagement, including those who rely on assistive technologies. This feedback directly informs continuous improvements to the Compass platform to enhance accessibility and compatibility. The Compass interface supports browser-based accessibility tools, allowing users to tailor their experience using features such as colour contrast and display adjustments, and works best with modern browsers that offer a wide range of accessibility controls and extensions.
• API: Yes
• What users can and can't do using the API: Compass provides a secure, REST-based API that enables approved integration partners to access data held within the Compass MIS.; ; API access is configured at the school level. Where an integration is approved, Compass creates a dedicated API user within the school’s Compass portal and securely shares the associated API key with the school or integration partner. This key is used to authenticate with Compass API endpoints. Access is only granted with the explicit consent of the school, as the data controller.; ; The Compass API is primarily designed to allow third parties to read and extract data from Compass to support integrations and reporting. A limited number of endpoints are available to insert or update data within Compass. Access to these write-enabled endpoints is not enabled by default and is granted on a case-by-case basis, subject to review of the integration purpose, data types involved, and potential impact on system performance and data integrity.; ; Compass applies appropriate technical and governance controls to protect customer data and reserves the right to restrict or revoke API access where misuse is identified. The API does not currently support unrestricted bi-directional synchronisation and is optimised primarily for outbound data access from Compass.
• API documentation: Yes
• API documentation formats:
  • PDF
  • Other
• API sandbox or test environment: Yes
• Customisation available: Yes
• Description of customisation: Compass provides a highly configurable MIS designed to meet the individual needs of each school. Key areas of customisation include wellbeing and pastoral workflows, behaviour and intervention management, curriculum structures, assessment frameworks, reporting, system preferences, and user portals branded to reflect each school’s identity.; ; As part of a thoroughly scoped implementation, the Compass team works closely with school stakeholders to review existing information management processes and priorities. These processes are then replicated, configured, or optimised within Compass to ensure the system aligns with the school’s operational and educational goals.; ; Compass includes flexible, in-system tools such as configurable workflows, adaptable assessment models, and a custom report builder. Portals for staff, students, and parents can be customised with school branding, including logos and colour schemes, to provide a consistent and familiar user experience.; ; Customisation is controlled through role-based permissions. Designated Compass administrators within each school can configure system settings at school level, including workflows, assessments, reporting structures, and portal branding, and deploy these configurations across the organisation while maintaining governance and data integrity.

Scaling

• Independence of resources: Compass isolates customers and guarantees resiliency by running a multi-tenant SaaS with per-customer databases and horizontally-scalable services across multi-cloud and Tier-3 data centres. Heavy work (imports, timetabling, reports) runs asynchronously on auto scaled worker pools, with priority queues for critical jobs (timetable, census). We use proactive capacity planning, repeated load testing, real-time monitoring and automated failover. SLAs, scheduled maintenance windows and operational runbooks ensure predictable performance and rapid remediation if needed.

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: No

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Conforms to BS7858:2019
• Government security clearance: Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

Asset protection

• Knowledge of data storage and processing locations: Yes
• Data storage and processing locations: European Economic Area (EEA)
• User control over data storage and processing locations: No
• Datacentre security standards: Complies with a recognised standard (for example CSA CCM version 4.0)
• Penetration testing frequency: At least once a year
• Penetration testing approach: Another external penetration testing organisation
• Protecting data at rest:
  • Physical access control, complying with another standard
  • Encryption of all physical media
• Data sanitisation process: Yes
• Equipment disposal approach: A third-party destruction service
• Data sanitisation type:
  • Deleted data can’t be directly accessed / Cryptographic Erasure
  • Data Erasure
  • Explicit overwriting of storage before reallocation / Secure Erase

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: Users can export their data directly from the Compass platform using built-in export tools. Compass supports statutory and non-statutory exports in commonly used formats including XML, XLS, CSV, PDF, CTF, RTF, XPS, TIFF, and TXT.; ; Standard exports include CTFs for pupil data, XML for statutory returns such as Census, and CSV files that open in Excel. Compass also provides API access and pre-built extracts for third-party systems such as ParentPay.; ; If a required dataset is not available through standard exports, Compass’ Customer Success team can assist with additional data extraction on request.
• Data export formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data export formats:
  • PDF
  • CTF
  • Compass API
  • XML
  • XPS
  • TIFF
  • TXT
• Data import formats:
  • CSV
  • Other
• Other data import formats:
  • PDF
  • CTF
  • ATF
  • ADT
  • JPEG
  • PNG
  • MOV
  • MP4
  • DOC/DOCX
  • XLS/XLSX

Data-in-transit protection

• Data protection between buyer and supplier networks:
  • Private network or public sector network
  • TLS (version 1.2 or above)
• Data protection within supplier network: Other
• Other protection within supplier network: VPN, AD and appropriate access control. Backups encrypted at rest and securely stored on premise and only by authorised personnel.

Availability and resilience

• Guaranteed availability: We guarantee 99.9% platform availability (excluding planned maintenance) and design for data integrity too: 99.9% data accuracy, checked by quarterly audits. In 2024 we delivered 100% availability, at scale, ~320,207 daily logins and >5 TB/day of data transfer.Availability is monitored in real time and performance is reviewed monthly. When issues arise, our incident SLAs keep things moving: P0 (critical) response 1 hour / resolution 3 hours; P1 2 hours / 1 business day; P2 8 hours / 3 business days; P3 1 business day / 10 business days. Planned maintenance happens out of hours with advance notice. Over the past 6 months we recorded zero downtime against the 99.9% target.If we ever fall short, service credits (payment deductions) apply, backed by a Service Improvement Plan and escalation to formal contract review for persistent issues. Notably, no KPI or service deductions were payable across our UK & Ireland MIS base in 2024.
• Approach to resilience: Our service is designed with resilience in mind, ensuring continuous availability and reliability. The architecture incorporates multiple layers of redundancy and failover mechanisms to mitigate potential disruptions. Key components are deployed across geographically distributed data centres, which enhances fault tolerance and disaster recovery capabilities. This setup ensures that if one data centre experiences an issue, others can seamlessly take over, minimising downtime.The data centres themselves are equipped with robust infrastructure, including redundant power supplies, cooling systems, and network connections. This physical resilience is complemented by advanced cybersecurity measures to protect against threats and unauthorised access.Additionally, our service employs continuous monitoring and automated alerting systems to detect and respond to anomalies in real-time. Regular backups and data replication across multiple locations further safeguard against data loss.Overall, our resilient design ensures that our service remains operational and secure, even in the face of unexpected challenges.
• Outage reporting: Through direct communication, if necessary, with Compass users or via our online service page.

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication:
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • Username or password
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: There are three user types in Compass: Staff, Student and Parent. Each has their own level of functionality, depending on what is relevant to the user type. Staff account access levels are restricted through Role Groups,; which determine the information available to them.; ; Role Groups allow administrators to allocate enhanced levels of access to particular staff, depending on their role, e.g. Data Manager, School Technician or Business Manager.; ; Incoming support channel contacts are authenticated against data held on file and access is granted in accordance with user type and Role Group.
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least every 6 months
• Management access authentication:
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
  • Identity federation with existing provider (for example Google Apps)
  • Username or password

Audit information for users

• Access to user activity audit information: Users have access to real-time audit information
• How long user audit data is stored for: At least 12 months
• Access to supplier activity audit information: Users receive audit information on a regular basis
• How long supplier audit data is stored for: At least 12 months
• How long system logs are stored for: At least 12 months

Security governance

• Named board-level person responsible for service security: Yes
• Security governance certified: Yes
• Security governance standards:
  • ISO/IEC 27001
  • Other
• Other security governance standards: Cyber Essentials
• Information security policies and processes: Compass follows its Information Security & IT Policy, which applies to all employees, volunteers and contractors and governs password, data‑security and device use. The policy is aligned to UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and NCSC Cyber Essentials.; ; Core principles require protecting systems from unauthorised access; classifying data appropriately; granting access only on a legitimate‑need basis; and safeguarding data against unauthorised processing, loss or corruption.; ; Controls include acceptable‑use rules; encryption of sensitive data or storage in protected Google Drive; strong passwords and MFA; applying security patches within 14 days; anti‑malware and device lockouts; and encrypting personal data in transit. Compliance with these controls is a condition of employment.; ; Reporting structure & assurance. Managers are responsible for ensuring their teams follow the policy; all staff must report any information‑security concerns to the Data Protection Officer, and all breaches are handled under our GDPR/Data Breach Policy.; ; Adherence is enforced through Compass’s right to audit systems and network traffic, random spot checks of devices, and periodic password‑strength scans; breaches may be investigated and can lead to disciplinary action. Staff are required to escalate suspicious emails to a manager.
• Software Security Code of Practice: Yes

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: Enhancements to the software are made regularly and released to the platform via an internal change management and release process.; Our release and rollback strategies are fully automated, each tested throughout the process and approved by our Quality and Assurance Team prior to launch. Every change is fully audited via an internally managed versioning process and monitored consistently to ensure all software versions and schemas are correct.
• Vulnerability management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Vulnerability management approach: Our DevOps teams monitor security and uptime data daily to ensure services meet our customer commitments.; Penetration testing is undertaken quarterly to ensure that all changes and enhancements to the software are tracked and monitored in accordance to our internal security measures.; Our payments gateway is assessed yearly in accordance to PCI/DSS compliance requirements.
• Protective monitoring type: Supplier-defined controls
• Protective monitoring approach: Our protective monitoring practices are internally documented and continuously reviewed to mitigate risk. All data changes are logged and available to customers either within the software or at request.; All access logs and server requests are centrally monitored and actioned by the relevant DevOps or Engineering teams in accordance to their feature responsibility.; High priority items are responded to immediately. We have an on-call team, but also engineers across the world that can react.
• Incident management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Incident management approach: Incident Management Process
• Post-quantum cryptography secure: Yes

Secure development

• Approach to secure software development best practice: Conforms to a recognised standard, but self-assessed

Public sector networks

• Connection to public sector networks: No

Pricing

• Discount for educational organisations: Yes
• Free trial available: Yes
• Description of free trial: We offer the Compass Choice Commitment, which allows schools to move from their incumbent provider prior to their incumbent licence expiring, which ensures they don't pay for two systems at once.

Discount percentage by annual call-off contract value (excluding VAT)

• Less than £250,000: 5%
• Between £250,000 and £500,000: 5%
• Between £500,001 and £1,000,000: 5%
• Between £1,000,001 and £2,500,000: 5%
• Between £2,500,001 and £5,000,000: 5%
• Over £5,000,001: 5%

Non-mandatory Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: Yes
• Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001: Intertek SAI Global
• ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date: Friday 12 May 2023
• What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover: Initial Certification Date: 12 May 2023; Date of Certification Decision: 02 June 2025; Issuing Date: 03 June 2025; Valid Until: 11 May 2026
• ISO 28000:2022 certification: No
• ISO 9001 certification: No
• Quality management systems (QMS): Yes
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: Yes
• Who accredited the PCI DSS certification: Stratica Australia
• PCI DSS accreditation date: Saturday 29 March 2025
• What the PCI DSS doesn’t cover: N/A
• Cyber essentials: Yes
• Please provide your Cyber Essentials Certificate Number: 76c0cf2c-6426-411c-9dc0-db659f93eea4
• Cyber essentials plus: No
• Cyber Essentials Alternative: In relation to the services you do not have a current and valid Cyber Essentials Plus certificate which has been awarded by one of the government approved Cyber Essentials accreditation bodies but you are working towards gaining it, and will be in a position to confirm that you have been awarded a current and valid Cyber Essentials Plus certificate by one of the government approved accreditation bodies within 12 months of the date of award.
• Other security certifications: No

Social value

• Section B - Commitment for Future: Delivery:

  • Mission: Make Britain a clean energy superpower: To cut bills, create jobs and deliver security with cheaper, zero-carbon electricity by 2030, accelerating to net zero

    Policy Outcome 4: Sustainable procurement practices: Reducing carbon footprints, minimising waste, and promoting the use of clean energy and green technologies.

    • Understanding of opportunities for additional environmental benefits delivery in the performance of the contract, including working towards net zero carbon emissions and use of clean energy and green technologies
    • Delivery of additional environmental benefits through the performance of the contract, including working towards net zero carbon emissions and use of clean energy and green technologies

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at tendersuk@compass.education. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.