Edshed, officially known as EdShed, is an educational technology platform that provides digital learning resources for schools, teachers, parents and children. Its products focus primarily on developing spelling, phonics, literacy and mathematics skills through structured lessons, interactive activities and educational games.
Founded in 2017 by Martin Saunders and Rob Smith, the company began with an idea to improve spelling instruction in primary schools. That idea developed into Spelling Shed, a digital learning product that eventually became part of a broader collection of educational resources.
Today, EdShed brings together several specialist platforms, including Spelling Shed, Phonics Shed, MathShed, QuizShed and Literacy Shed Plus.
Its approach combines traditional classroom teaching with digital practice, enabling educators to organize assignments, monitor learning activities and provide additional opportunities for pupils to develop essential skills.
This article explores EdShed’s history, founders, educational products, classroom applications and the practical features that distinguish its learning ecosystem.
What Is Edshed?
Edshed is a collection of educational software and teaching resources designed to support the development of foundational academic skills, particularly during primary education.
Rather than functioning as a single learning game, the platform operates as an umbrella for several products, each addressing a specific area of learning.
Spelling Shed focuses on spelling knowledge and word patterns. Phonics Shed supports early reading instruction through systematic phonics teaching. MathShed provides activities for mathematical fluency, while Literacy Shed Plus supplies teachers with structured resources for reading and writing.
The company also offers QuizShed, a quiz-based learning tool suitable for classroom activities and knowledge checks.
One distinguishing feature is the combination of pupil-facing digital activities and teacher-facing management tools.
Teachers can organize learning tasks, monitor assignments, and access resources linked to particular educational objectives. Parents can also use selected products to support learning at home.
This combination of educational content and administration tools makes EdShed relevant to both formal teaching and independent practice.
Early History and Founding of EdShed
EdShed traces its beginnings to 2017, when Martin Saunders and Rob Smith discussed ways of improving spelling instruction in primary schools.
Both founders brought educational experience to the project, giving the company a direct connection to classroom teaching.
The initial product, Spelling Shed, was introduced as an application designed to make spelling practice more engaging and manageable.
Its development reflected a familiar challenge in education: pupils need repeated opportunities to practice spelling, but teachers must also deliver structured lessons, assess progress and accommodate different learning needs.
A digital platform can help organize aspects of that work by providing reusable activities and recording pupil participation.
As the company’s product range expanded, EdShed developed from a spelling-focused application into a wider educational technology business.
Its growth included additional resources for phonics, mathematics and literacy. The company has also developed curriculum materials for different educational markets, including the United Kingdom and United States.
The People Behind EdShed
Martin Saunders and Rob Smith
EdShed’s founders have professional backgrounds connected to education.
Dr Martin Saunders, the company’s chief executive officer, is described in EdShed’s official company profile as a qualified teacher with experience in technology and school governance.
His background combines educational knowledge with experience in developing and managing technology.
Rob Smith has worked as a primary school teacher and has a particular interest in literacy. His work is also associated with the development of Literacy Shed, a collection of teaching resources built around engaging visual materials.
The company’s leadership includes Alexander Athienitis, its curriculum director, who previously worked as a primary school teacher and subject leader.
These backgrounds help explain EdShed’s emphasis on teaching materials alongside technology.
The company does not present digital games as its only contribution. Curriculum sequences, lesson planning and assessment resources also form significant parts of its offering.
Spelling Shed and the Development of Literacy Skills
Spelling Shed is one of EdShed’s principal products.
It combines spelling activities with structured teaching resources, giving children opportunities to practice words and spelling patterns through digital games.
The program incorporates principles of the Science of Reading, including phonics, morphology,, and spelling patterns.
Phonics addresses relationships between written letters and spoken sounds, while morphology concerns the meaningful parts of words, such as prefixes and suffixes.
These concepts matter because spelling involves more than memorizing unrelated word lists.
Spelling Shed provides weekly word lists, teaching activities, and options for creating custom lists. Teachers can assign specific material to individuals or groups.
The platform also includes Hive Games, which allow whole classes to participate in interactive spelling activities.
Its educational value lies in connecting repeated practice with planned instruction. Teachers can use classroom lessons to explain spelling concepts and then provide digital activities that reinforce those concepts.
Pupil progress data also helps educators review which spelling activities have been completed.
Phonics Shed and Early Reading Instruction
Phonics Shed addresses another important stage in primary education: learning how written letters correspond to spoken sounds.
The program follows a systematic synthetic phonics approach and is listed as a validated program under the Department for Education’s phonics validation arrangements in England.
Systematic synthetic phonics teaches children to recognize letter-sound relationships and combine individual sounds to read words.
Phonics Shed introduces these concepts through a narrative-based learning system supported by characters, stories, songs, flashcards and digital activities.
Its teaching resources include lesson plans and decodable reading materials designed to support applying phonics knowledge.
The program covers early sound awareness and progresses into more formal phonics instruction.
Teachers can use its assessment tools to identify areas where pupils require additional support.
Phonics instruction and spelling instruction are closely connected but serve different immediate learning tasks.
Phonics particularly supports decoding written words, while spelling requires pupils to represent spoken words accurately in writing.
EdShed provides separate but complementary products for these areas.
MathShed and the Importance of Numeracy
MathShed extends EdShed’s learning model into mathematics.
The platform builds mathematical fluency through activities involving number bonds, multiplication facts, addition, and other foundational numerical skills.
Mathematical fluency includes the ability to recall basic facts accurately and efficiently.
For example, knowing multiplication facts can reduce the working memory required for more complex calculations.
MathShed offers games that let pupils practice specific skills, along with tools that let teachers assign work and review performance information.
Its resources also include teaching materials connected to mastery-based approaches to mathematics instruction.
In the United Kingdom, MathShed includes resources associated with the Year 4 multiplication tables check.
The platform’s role is best understood as support for teaching and practice rather than a replacement for mathematical explanation.
Children still need opportunities to understand methods, discuss mathematical ideas and solve unfamiliar problems.
Digital arithmetic practice can form one part of that broader learning process.
Literacy Shed Plus and QuizShed
Literacy Shed Plus
Literacy Shed Plus provides structured teaching resources for reading, writing and comprehension.
The platform offers lesson materials built around texts, films and other visual stimuli.
Its resources include model texts, unit plans, comprehension activities and teaching materials intended to help educators plan literacy lessons.
One recognized feature is the VIPERS approach to reading comprehension.
VIPERS covers Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Retrieval, and Sequence or Summarise.
These categories help teachers organize questions about texts and develop pupils’ comprehension.
Literacy Shed Plus differs from the free Literacy Shed resource website by offering additional planning materials through subscriptions.
QuizShed
QuizShed provides another form of learning support through interactive quizzes.
Teachers can create question sets, use existing quizzes, and incorporate activities into lessons.
The service can support introductory exercises, revision, classroom discussions and checks of previously taught knowledge.
Its flexibility makes it suitable for use with individuals or groups.
How EdShed Supports Classroom Teaching
A major element of EdShed’s design is its teacher-facing management system.
Teachers can create pupil groups, assign activities, and organize learning materials through the platform.
For spelling instruction, this might involve selecting a weekly word list and assigning practice activities before a classroom assessment.
For mathematics, teachers may select specific arithmetic skills for pupils to practice.
Teachers can assign work to entire classes or selected groups, allowing them to adapt activities to classroom needs.
EdShed’s support documentation also explains how teachers can review assignment information and manage pupil access.
This administrative side matters because an effective classroom resource must be practical to organize.
Digital exercises alone do not provide an entire teaching strategy. Their usefulness also depends on the quality of instruction, task selection and feedback.
EdShed’s combination of teaching resources, digital assignments and progress information is intended to support those responsibilities.
EdShed for Parents and Home Learning
EdShed is also designed for families who want to support children’s education outside school.
Parents can create an account and choose appropriate subscription options. The company’s guidance explains how parent accounts can include child profiles and assigned learning activities.
For Spelling Shed and MathShed, parent subscription arrangements support up to five child licenses.
Home use can give children opportunities to revisit skills taught at school.
A parent might select spelling patterns that a child is learning during the week or provide additional practice with number facts.
The activities are particularly relevant when practice is consistent and appropriately matched to the child’s current abilities.
Parents should distinguish between completing games and demonstrating understanding.
A child who performs well on a familiar activity may still benefit from reading, writing, math discussions, and hands-on learning experiences.
EdShed can contribute to that process without replacing the broader educational role of parents and teachers.
Free Access, Premium Features and Subscriptions
EdShed uses a combination of free access and paid subscriptions.
Its free offerings include selected educational games, pupil login functionality and assignment features.
Premium services provide additional curriculum materials, enhanced reporting tools and other teaching features, depending on the product and subscription.
Subscription arrangements vary between schools, individual teachers and families.
For example, Spelling Shed and MathShed offer school subscriptions based on pupil licenses, while Literacy Shed Plus uses a different subscription structure.
This distinction matters when comparing costs.
Schools evaluating the platform should consider the number of pupils, the products required, and whether the teaching materials fit their curriculum.
Parents should check which activities are available through a free account before deciding whether additional features are necessary.
A paid subscription does not automatically mean a product is appropriate for every learner.
A meaningful evaluation should include curriculum suitability, practical usability, and the user’s specific educational needs.
Digital Learning, Privacy and Common Misconceptions
Because EdShed is used by children, responsible account management deserves attention.
The platform lets school administrators create pupil accounts, allocate licenseslicenses, and manage access.
Its support guidance also describes using pseudonymous display names when pupil accounts are created through certain import processes.
Teachers and school administrators should follow their institution’s data protection procedures when managing accounts and sharing login credentials.
Families should likewise supervise account access and choose learning activities appropriate for children’s ages and abilities.
Several misconceptions can arise when discussing EdShed.
First, EdShed is not simply another name for Spelling Shed. Spelling Shed is one product within the broader EdShed collection.
Second, the platform is not limited to spelling. Its resources also cover phonics, mathematics, reading, writing, and quizzes.
Third, digital learning games should not be confused with evidence that every pupil will achieve better outcomes simply by using them.
The educational benefits of any resource depend on implementation, teaching quality, learner needs and appropriate assessment.
Educational Reach, Community Value and Future Development
EdShed’s official company information describes an international user base and resources tailored to different educational systems.
The company has reported serving more than two million learners across 180 countries, although this is a company-reported figure rather than an independently verified measure of learning outcomes.
Its wider significance lies in the range of resources it provides for foundational education.
Spelling, phonics, and mathematical fluency require structured teaching and regular practice.
By bringing lesson resources and digital activities into connected products, EdShed offers schools a means of organizing some of that work.
The company also maintains resources and support documentation intended to help teachers and families use its products.
Its long-term educational value will depend on whether the resources continue to meet curriculum requirements, respond to research developments and remain practical for classroom use.
As educational technology develops, clear assessment methods, responsible handling of pupil information and meaningful teacher involvement will remain important considerations.
Conclusion
Edshed has developed from a spelling-focused educational application into a collection of learning platforms serving schools, teachers, parents and pupils.
Founded in 2017 by Martin Saunders and Rob Smith, the company has expanded its educational offerings to include phonics, mathematics, reading, writing and classroom assessment resources.
Its main strength is combining structured teaching materials with interactive practice and administrative tools.
Spelling Shed, Phonics Shed, MathShed, QuizShed, and Literacy Shed Plus each address different learning needs, while the wider EdShed system helps educators organizeorganize activities and review pupil participation.
The platform offers practical options for classroom instruction and home learning, though its effectiveness depends on how resources are selected and used.
For schools and families exploring digital educational resources, EdShed represents a teacher-founded approach to combining curriculum-based instruction with accessible technology and engaging practice activities.
(FAQs)
1. What is Edshed used for?
Edshed is an educational platform for practicingpracticing spelling, phonics, mathematics,, and literacy skills through digital games, teaching materials,, and structured assignments.
2. Who founded Edshed?
Martin Saunders and Rob Smith founded EdShed in 2017 after discussing improvements to spelling instruction in primary schools.
3. Is EdShed the same as Spelling Shed?
No. EdShed is the broader educational platform and company, while Spelling Shed is one of its specialist learning products.
4. Can children use EdShed at home?
Yes. EdShed offers parent account options that let families access supported learning resources and organizeorganize activities for children.
5. Is EdShed free to use?
EdShed offers certain free games and learning features. Additional curriculum materials, reporting options and teaching resources are available through paid subscriptions.
6. What subjects does EdShed cover?
Its products cover spelling, phonics, mathematics, reading, writing, grammar, and related literacy activities.
7. How do pupils log in to EdShed?
Pupils can access the EdShed game platform using login credentials provided through their school or parent account.
8. Is Edshed suitable for primary schools?
Yes. EdShed develops educational resources primarily for primary education, including teaching schemes, classroom games, assessments,, and materials for home practice.
