Evidence

How Spelling.Live is being used, and what it shows

Everything we can show about Spelling.Live in one place: real usage from primary school classes, a family case study, an independent review and the educator we work with. Each part is also available as a PDF you can download, print or attach to a funding bid or a report.

Last updated 9 October 2026. School, class and pupil names are never shown. Where a screenshot appears, the names in it were replaced before publishing; every number, word and spelling rule is as the teacher saw it.

Download the evidence

Full evidence pack (10 pages, 2.8 MB) School and class usage, the family case study and testimonials in one file. Start here. School and class usage (5 pages, 1.1 MB) First term in schools, September 2026: class reports, the spelling rules behind mistakes, handwriting, interventions and early years. Testimonials (1 page) Parents, a dyslexia specialist and the Educational App Store, in their own words. October 2026. Family case study: Kaya and Aarav (4 pages, 1.9 MB) A child with Down syndrome and a Year 5 pupil, one week end to end, from the school's words to a marked page. July 2026.

In the classroom

In September 2026 a UK primary school set up three classes on Spelling.Live and gave it a fixed ten to fifteen minute slot in the school day. In the first three weeks:

49 of 55pupils practised

3,200+spelling answers (including games)

86–90%accuracy, by class

0answers marked by hand

Two classes in their first month: 1,875 spelling attempts, 33 of 37 pupils practised, the same two spelling rules topped both classes, and no answers marked by hand — Two of those classes in their first month.

What the teachers could see without marking anything

Who practised. In one class all 18 pupils practised, on at least three different days each: 996 attempts at 90% accuracy.
Which rule to teach. In the other class, 111 of 132 misspellings matched a named spelling rule. Ten tricky words came down to one lesson on "ie" and "ei". The same two rules came top in both classes.
Who had finished the list. With days still to go, 8 of 18 pupils had finished a 20-word list and most of the rest were within three words.
Right first time, or right with help. These are counted separately, so a teacher can tell a secured word from one a child only gets with support.

Interventions and early years

One teacher ran six sessions in ten days with a single pupil, about 100 answers at close to 90%.
A tutor has worked with a small group on 79 different days since May 2026.
An early years teacher has created over 180 picture clues and had almost 590 handwritten attempts checked for letter formation.

Read the full write-ups, with every figure also given as text:

A family case study

Kaya has Down syndrome, a moderate learning disability and difficulties with mobility. She has used Spelling.Live since the first build, and she is one of the reasons it works the way it does: pictures first, no fixed route through a word, and help that is faded slowly rather than removed. Aarav was in Year 5 and always passed the Friday test; the mistakes came weeks later, until spaced repetition brought the words back.

The case study follows one week end to end, from the words that came home in the school bag to a marked page and a decision about what to teach next. Written by Manoj Shah, who built the app; Kaya and Aarav are his children, and it is published with their family's consent.

Download the family case study (PDF)

What families and educators say

"This app has worked wonders for my son. … He started 1st grade needing to retake both spelling tests, and last week just had a minus 1. Huge improvement!!! I absolutely love that it takes his real spelling words and motivates him to earn more games."

The White family, parent of a first grader, October 2026

"I'm really enjoying this app for practising spellings. It is a great way of keeping spellings fun and focused and manageable. It is low intensity for them and high on enjoyment and learning skill! As a dyslexia specialist, I recommend its ease of use and clarity."

Lou, dyslexia specialist, October 2026

"I have seen a big improvement in my son's spelling. He is even correcting me now."

Parent, feedback in the app, May 2026

The White family and Lou shared their words through the feedback form in the app, which thanks families who share their experience with bonus credits. More quotes are in the testimonials PDF.

Independent review

Educational App Store: Certified, 5 stars, 2026

Educational App Store: 5.0 out of 5, Certified (August 2026). Reviewed by qualified teachers and parents against a 32-point rubric covering pedagogy, usability, accessibility and privacy.

"Spelling.Live goes well beyond traditional spelling apps ... [it] already stands out as one of the most complete spelling practice solutions available for UK primary learners."

Spencer Riley, Educational App Store. Read the full review or our write-up of it.

Parents' reviews are on the App Store and Google Play.

Our founding educational partner

Faizel Manjoo of Education Beyond has more than 24 years in education, including as Principal of a British international school. He tests Spelling.Live with the children he works with and shapes how it handles spelling progression, patterns and the three-week checkpoint.

About Education Beyond

Where the numbers come from

Usage figures come from the app's own practice records, one row per answer, and are dated. Accuracy figures leave out games, so they describe spelling practice only. Schools, classes and pupils are not named.

The teaching approach behind the app (spaced practice, retrieval practice and teaching the rule behind a word) is set out with its sources on the research page.