If we asked you what the most common misspelled words are, do you think you would know? Do you think they are the same in classrooms all over the UK? What about all over the world? The results for 2025 are in! In 2025, a whopping 530,695,544 words were spelled using Spelling Shed. This was by 936,926 children across the world. Top 10 …
The Key Stage 2 SATs take place each year in May, where all eligible Year 6 pupils are assessed. This includes the English grammar, punctuation and spelling (GPS) test. We’ve analysed past papers, made some predictions and collated top tips to help you and your pupils prepare effectively. What Is Involved in the KS2 SATs GPS Papers? Paper 1: A test paper with multiple-choice or short-answer questions …
Statutory Assessment Series: Predictions and Preparation for the KS2 SATs GPS Papers Read More »
Like many educators, we eagerly awaited the release of the Writing Framework with our highlighters and post-it notes at the ready. In this blog post, we share seven key takeaways from the spelling section, along with our thoughts and how Spelling Shed aligns with it. 1. Spelling is key in releasing memory space for writing One of …
What Does the Writing Framework Say About Spelling? 7 Things You Need to Know Read More »
Did you know that most SSP (systematic synthetic phonics) programmes do not meet the National Curriculum statutory requirements for Key Stage 1? Phonics schemes are designed to meet the National Curriculum objectives for word reading and often miss spelling objectives. Often objectives like those listed below are omitted from phonics schemes. These objectives need to be covered in order to meet National Curriculum requirements; therefore, …
Using Spelling Shed Alongside Your Phonics Scheme Read More »
When schools choose to use Spelling Shed alongside Read Write Inc. Phonics, they often ask how it aligns. Spelling Shed can work hand-in-hand with Read Write Inc. Phonics. Remember that phonics schemes are designed to meet the National Curriculum objectives for word reading and often miss spelling objectives. Therefore, we recommend using Spelling Shed from Years 1 and 2. What do you need to consider? …
Using Spelling Shed Alongside Read Write Inc. Phonics Read More »
Big words, bold outfits and buzzing classrooms. Spelling Shed Launch or Relaunch Day is all about enthusiasm for vocabulary. It’s more than rummaging around and getting creative to dress up as a word, it’s the start of encouraging curiosity with words, showing pupils that spelling is genuinely fun. From clever puns to full-character transformations, teachers and pupils bring language to life in ways that last …
How to Launch and Relaunch Spelling Shed with Dress as a Word Day! Read More »
What is morphology and does it really matter? Where does etymology fit into the teaching of spelling? Here are some key takeaways. You can read part 1 of this blog series here, part 2 here and part 3 here. What is morphology? ‘Morphe’ means ‘form’ and ‘-ology’ means ‘the study of’, so morphology is the study of how words are formed. A …
How to Teach Spelling Effectively – Part Four: Morphology and Etymology Read More »
What should every teacher know about orthographic knowledge? Why is it so important to effectively teach spelling? Here are nine key takeaways. You can read part 1 of this blog series here and part 2 here. The diagram below shows the elements that build up our linguistic knowledge, including orthographic knowledge. The more times this process is repeated, the more solidly …
How to Teach Spelling Effectively – Part Three: Orthographic Knowledge (9 Key Takeaways) Read More »
The whole of the EdShed interface is being changed and updated to improve educators’ (or sheducators’) experience of EdShed. This has started with our leading product, Spelling Shed. Spelling Shed has had a huge new update, which is now on a preview release, that not only looks different but also gives educators a whole new wealth …
Whether you’re new to Spelling Shed or have used Spelling Shed for years, it’s always useful to make sure you are getting the most out of your subscription, especially because there are always new features being released to enhance your experience. What once started as an app has escalated into a full multi-award-winning, innovative spelling …
Why is spelling such a complex skill to master and how can we teach students to be effective spellers? A common misconception is that if you can read a word then you can spell it. However, there are many ways a phoneme (sound) can be represented in written form. Take the phoneme /k/. It can …
