Logging in

Three kinds of login

Spello has three audiences — parents, schools and children — and each logs in at a different URL. The "Log in" button at the top of the marketing site will send you to the right place if you're not sure.

Parent & teacher login — email codes

The default login flow is passwordless. You type your email, we send a six-character code to that email, and you paste it back in to finish signing in. The code expires after 15 minutes.

1. Go to manage.spello.uk.
2. Type the email you signed up with and press Continue.
3. Check your inbox for a message from [email protected].
4. Either paste the six-character code into Spello, or click the sign me in button in the email — both work.

Codes are made of uppercase letters and digits from an unambiguous alphabet (no 0, 1, I or O), so there's never a "was that an O or a zero?" moment.

If the email doesn't arrive within a minute, check the spam folder first — one-off codes sometimes land there until a few successful emails have trained your provider that Spello is legitimate. You can also click Resend on the login page.

Passkeys (optional)

Once signed in, parents and teachers can add a passkey under their account settings. A passkey uses Face ID, Touch ID or a Windows Hello PIN to sign in instantly on the device — no code, no email. You can add a passkey on as many devices as you like.

Passkeys only work on the device they're enrolled on, so if you log in from a new computer or phone for the first time, you'll still get the email-code flow.

Children — usernames and passwords

Children log in at play.spello.uk/login with a username and a password. Both are chosen when the child is first added to an account.

Forgot either? A parent can see and reset them under the child's profile in manage.spello.uk. For a school account, the class teacher or school admin can do the same — they can also print login slips for a whole class in one go (see Parent letters and login slips).

Common login problems

I can't remember which email I signed up with

Search your inbox for "Spello" — our welcome email is the fastest way to confirm the address. If you signed up through a school, try your work email before your personal one. Don't just guess a new address: if we don't recognise an email, we create a fresh account under it rather than erroring, so guessing is how people end up with an empty second account. If you're stuck, email us and we'll look it up for you.

"That code doesn't match"

Usually a typo — double-check and try again. After 5 wrong attempts the code locks out and you'll need a fresh one (press Resend to get a new code emailed). Codes expire after 15 minutes, so anything from an email older than that won't work either.

The email never arrives

Check spam and promotions folders. Login codes come from [email protected] — if your organisation uses a strict email filter, ask IT to allow-list the spello.uk domain. If the email still doesn't arrive after 5 minutes, contact us and we'll check our logs.

My child can't type their password

Child passwords are case-insensitive and ignore spaces — so a password stored as lion monkey 59 accepts LionMonkey59, lionmonkey59, or any other combination. If the default is still too hard, a parent can change it from the child's profile to anything memorable — even a single short word.