edshed com
Everything You Need to Know About EdShed: The Platform Changing How Kids Learn
EdShed.com is one of those platforms that seems simple on the surface—spelling games, phonics lessons, math quizzes—but it’s actually doing a lot of heavy lifting behind the scenes. Built by teachers, it’s designed to hit key curriculum goals without boring students or overwhelming educators.
What is EdShed?
EdShed is the parent company behind several connected platforms: Spelling Shed, MathShed, Phonics Shed, Literacy Shed Plus, and QuizShed. It’s a suite of educational tools aimed mostly at primary school learners. What sets it apart isn’t the gamification—that’s common now—but the thought behind how it supports learning mechanics.
Each product covers a core literacy or numeracy skill. Spelling Shed, for example, doesn’t just throw out random words. It maps lists to phonics rules, morphological patterns, and age-appropriate vocabulary. This means that students aren’t just memorizing spellings—they’re building decoding strategies that stick.
Built Around Real Classroom Needs
This is where EdShed earns credibility: it was created by people who’ve actually taught in classrooms. The tools reflect real teaching rhythms—weekly lists, group play modes, in-class or homework setups, and a teacher dashboard that tracks progress without requiring extra admin.
Spelling Shed comes with four difficulty levels, but the interface stays the same across them. That avoids the trap where advanced students get a clunky version of the game just because they’re being challenged more. The words get harder, not the experience.
Teachers can assign specific word lists or pull from EdShed’s bank. Lists are tied to curriculum goals and phoneme-grapheme correspondences. So if you’re teaching a “soft c” pattern, there’s a list for that.
Gamified, But With Purpose
Plenty of educational tools use game mechanics to hold attention. What EdShed does right is use them to reinforce fluency. Spelling Shed’s main game uses a timed-response format. Players spell words quickly and accurately to earn points. The faster and more accurate, the higher the “Shed Score.”
This isn’t just for bragging rights. Those scores feed into a live leaderboard system—both at the class and global level. That’s smart. It taps into competitiveness without requiring the teacher to manage anything.
Hive Games take that even further. It’s like a mini spelling bee, but digital. Everyone in the class gets the same word list, and the teacher runs the game live. Students answer on their devices, and you see scores populate in real-time. It turns spelling into a team sport.
MathShed: Less Buzz, Same Brains
MathShed gets less attention than Spelling Shed, but it’s just as well-thought-out. It leans into fluency—the kind of repetitive but essential stuff like number bonds, multiplication facts, and mental strategies. It follows the CPA (concrete–pictorial–abstract) approach that’s been proven in math education research to help kids internalize new concepts.
There’s a built-in simulator for the UK’s Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check. It works under timed pressure and mimics the actual government test environment. This is the kind of practical feature that saves teachers hours of setup.
Phonics Shed: For the Early Years
Phonics Shed is EdShed’s answer to synthetic phonics programs. It’s DfE validated (which matters if you’re a UK teacher) and takes kids from early phonemic awareness all the way to fluent decoding. The program is tightly structured but includes decodable readers, songs, mnemonics, and interactive whiteboard resources.
There are over 200 lessons, each built around a consistent structure: revisit and review, teach, practise, apply. It lines up with Letters and Sounds Phase 1 through 6 and integrates with Spelling Shed so the transition from phonics to spelling feels seamless.
Literacy Shed Plus & QuizShed
Literacy Shed Plus offers deep, film-based reading and writing resources. Think short animated clips (like “The Lighthouse” or “Bubbles”) with full lesson plans tied to comprehension strategies, creative writing, and grammar. Teachers love it because it doesn’t just teach analysis—it inspires.
QuizShed is EdShed’s lighter touch. It’s a free tool for creating fast, quiz-based games. Use it for recap, cold starts, or class polls. It’s not as central as the other products but fits well into the ecosystem.
Real-Time Feedback and Teacher Controls
All EdShed products are designed with built-in assessment. Every game feeds data back to the teacher dashboard. You can track average scores, identify weak areas, and see how students respond under time pressure.
There’s a ranking system that shows mastery levels—Egg, Larva, Drone, Worker Bee, Soldier Bee, Royal Bee. It’s whimsical, but it gives both kids and teachers a sense of progression. Rankings are based on average response time and accuracy over time.
For home learning, everything runs through EdShed’s web portal or apps. Assignments go out with one click. Parents can monitor activity, but the controls stay with the teacher.
Why It Works
EdShed doesn’t chase trends. It sticks to evidence. The spelling system reflects the “Science of Reading,” using orthographic mapping—basically connecting how a word sounds to how it’s written through repeated exposure and phonemic cues.
A study from the University of Oxford’s Department of Education found that spelling instruction using pattern-based lists improved long-term retention by 35% over rote memorization. That principle is built into Spelling Shed’s list structure.
In math, repetition and fluency drills have been linked to improved test performance and conceptual understanding, particularly when combined with feedback systems. MathShed taps into that by keeping practice short, targeted, and gamified.
Is It Safe and Legit?
Yes. The site uses HTTPS encryption, doesn't show signs of phishing, and has clean domain records. It’s used by thousands of schools in the UK, Australia, South Africa, and increasingly in the U.S. It’s also been shortlisted or awarded by major edtech awards like BETT and Teach Primary.
FAQs
Is EdShed free?
Most features require a subscription, though QuizShed and the letter tile tool are free. Schools can opt for individual products or bundles.
Can it be used for homeschooling?
Yes. Homeschool families can subscribe independently. The platform is flexible enough for one-on-one use.
What ages is EdShed best for?
It’s aimed at ages 4 to 11—roughly Key Stage 1 and 2—but parts of it (like QuizShed) scale up well.
Does it work on tablets?
Yes. It’s web-based but optimized for tablets and mobile devices. There are also iOS and Android apps.
Is it aligned with national curricula?
Yes. In the UK, EdShed aligns with National Curriculum guidelines, Letters and Sounds, and White Rose Maths. There’s also a full CAPS-aligned version for South Africa.
Final Thought
EdShed doesn’t try to do everything. It focuses on foundational skills and does them well. It’s fast to set up, rewarding for students, and reduces planning time for teachers. If the goal is making core skills like spelling and math stick—without dumbing anything down—it’s one of the strongest platforms out there.
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