What Carousel Learning does

Carousel Learning Ltd is a UK-based EdTech company, founded in 2020 and headquartered in Poole, Dorset, that operates a cloud-based quizzing and retrieval practice platform used by more than 4,000 schools and 2.5M+ completed quizzes worldwide. The platform helps teachers set curriculum-aligned quizzes from a library of 5,000+ community-contributed and partner-curated question banks, enables students to self-mark quizzes and create flashcards via Study Packs, and provides teachers with Whole Class Feedback reports and C-Scores analytics. Core features include Whiteboard Mode for whole-class retrieval, Spoken Questions for accessibility, MIS integration via Wonde, and spaced repetition capabilities (in development for secondary). Pricing is tiered: a free Silver tier for individual teachers, a Gold tier at £70/year per individual teacher, and Platinum tier with school, department, and MAT-wide deployment at quoted pricing including onboarding and CPD support. An MIS integration add-on is sold for £85 (primary) or £150 (secondary).

The company expanded into teacher professional development with the May 2025 launch of Carousel Teaching, a separate CPD platform offering 12 core courses covering questioning, behaviour management, lesson observation, and instructional strategies, delivered via self-paced online learning, INSET sessions, webinars, and booster courses. Carousel Teaching is priced per-user (from £595 for 1 user down to £20/user at scale) with a Whole School option at £1,965+VAT for 50+ users, and is anchored by the year-long Retrieving Better CPD course (£500 range inferred from package) for secondary leaders and Retrieving Better Primary for primary leaders. The go-to-market is hybrid: product-led growth through the free Silver tier drives individual teacher acquisition, while a sales-led motion via Calendly demos and direct quoting converts schools, departments, and Multi Academy Trusts. Distribution leverages content marketing (educational blog by Adam Boxer, Ben Rice, Louise Smith, Jessica Murray), Twitter/X and Threads engagement, webinars, and community word-of-mouth. Key partnerships include John Catt Educational for KS4/KS5 question banks, Wonde for MIS data syncing, PKC for primary curriculum content, and Aircury (UK and Spain entities) for platform development.

Name

Carousel Learning

Legal name

Carousel Learning Ltd

Website

https://carousel-learning.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Carousel Learning is a UK EdTech company providing a cloud-based quizzing and retrieval practice platform for primary and secondary schools, complemented by a teacher CPD platform (Carousel Teaching), serving 4,000+ schools with tiered subscription pricing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 EdTech Software

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Assessments, Quizzes & Learning Analytics Tools (MPACALAK)

Keywords

• Retrieval practice platform
• Online quizzing software
• Teacher professional development
• Education assessment tools
• School CPD platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Poole

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Carousel Learning Subscriptions: Tiered subscription model with Silver (free), Gold (£70/year individual), and Platinum (school/department/MAT pricing via quote) tiers. Provides varying levels of quiz access, question bank limits, and premium features.
2. Carousel Teaching Subscriptions: Annual subscription with per-user pricing: Core includes 1 user at £595, users 2-5 at £55 each, users 6-30 at £30 each, users 31-50 at £20 each. Whole School option at £1,965 + VAT for 50+ users. Discounted plans available for self-funding teachers.
3. MIS Integration Fee: Additional fee for Management Information System integration services (£85 for primary, £150 for secondary)
4. Retrieving Better CPD Course: Year-long professional development course for leaders comprising 4 webinars, expert-reviewed assignments, five copies of the Retrieving Better book, and Carousel Teaching course access. Delivered through webinars with course completion certificate.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Carousel Learning provides a cloud-based quizzing and retrieval practice platform that enables teachers to set quizzes drawing from community and premium question banks, students to self-mark and revise using flashcards and Study Packs, and analytics (C-Scores) to track learning. The company also operates Carousel Teaching, a separate online CPD platform with 12 video-based professional development courses and the year-long Retrieving Better programme for school leaders.

Product overview

Carousel Learning offers two integrated product lines: (1) Carousel Learning Core Platform, a cloud-based quizzing and retrieval practice platform available in Silver (free), Gold (£70/year), and Platinum (school-wide) subscription tiers, enabling teachers to create and assign quizzes from question banks, students to self-mark and revise using Study Packs and flashcards, with features including Whiteboard Mode, Whole Class Feedback, Spoken Questions, and C-Scores analytics; and (2) Carousel Teaching, a separate CPD platform providing 12 professional development courses for teachers through self-paced, INSET, webinar, and booster formats, anchored by the Retrieving Better year-long course. The platform serves over 4,000 schools with 5K+ question banks and 2.5M+ quizzes taken. Integrations include Wonde for MIS data synchronization. AI capabilities include natural language processing for meeting transcription and data analysis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Carousel Teaching: Online professional development platform for teachers providing CPD courses, including explanatory videos, in-class lesson footage, detailed texts, and quizzes. Offers courses on topics such as questioning, behaviour management, mini-whiteboards, lesson observation, and instructional strategies.
• Retrieving Better
• Retrieving Better Primary

Products and services

• Carousel Learning A cloud-based quizzing and retrieval practice platform that allows teachers to create quizzes from community and premium question banks, enables students to self-mark and revise using flashcards and Study Packs, and provides teachers with C-Scores analytics and Whole Class Feedback reports. Used by primary and secondary schools globally.
• Carousel Teaching An online professional development (CPD) platform for teachers offering 12 video-based courses covering questioning, behaviour management, mini-whiteboards, lesson starters, lesson observation and feedback, and instructional strategies. Courses available in self-paced, INSET, webinar, and booster formats, with searchable library of hundreds of in-class lesson videos.
• Retrieving Better A year-long CPD programme empowering school and department leaders to implement a long-term memory strategy across their school. Delivered through four 75-minute webinars with expert-reviewed assignments, includes five copies of the Retrieving Better book and access to Carousel Teaching e-learning courses.
• Retrieving Better Primary

Quantifiable outcome

• 2.5M+ quizzes taken by students worldwide
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability2 records

Feature15 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• John Catt EducationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContent partnership for KS4 and KS5 Knowledge Quiz series. John Catt Educational provides quality-assured question banks written by subject experts, available as premium content within Carousel's secondary school platform.
• WondecoreTechnology or IntegrationSchool data syncing service used by Carousel to access certain data stored on schools' Management Information Systems. Enables automated student and staff account provisioning.
• Jon HutchinsonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary education specialist who co-authors quality-assured primary question banks for Mathematics, Science, Geography, and History alongside the Carousel team.
• Ella MartinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary education specialist (Ella Martin [ks2]) who co-authors quality-assured primary question banks alongside the Carousel team.
• PKC (Primary Knowledge Curriculum)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with PKC for expanding primary question banks. Louise Smith, Carousel's Primary Specialist, discusses building bigger foundations through this partnership.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Socrative: Teacher-facing formative assessment and quizzing tool with real-time results and whole-class modes. Competes with Carousel's Whiteboard Mode and Whole Class Feedback features.
• Kahoot: Publicly listed game-based learning platform widely used by teachers for in-class quizzing. Direct overlap with Carousel's quizzing and retrieval practice use case, especially in the UK and global K-12 market.
• Quizizz: Teacher-led quizzing and formative assessment platform with a similar PLG model and free tier for individual educators. Competes directly with Carousel for teacher mindshare on retrieval practice and formative assessment.
• Tassomai: UK-based adaptive learning platform using daily quizzing and spaced repetition for GCSE subjects. Closely comparable to Carousel's retrieval practice positioning in UK secondary schools.
• Quizlet: Global study/quiz platform with flashcard and study modes (Mode, Learn, Test) used by teachers and students. Overlaps with Carousel's flashcards, Study Packs, and self-paced retrieval use cases.
• IRIS Connect: UK-based professional development and teacher improvement platform using video-based observation and feedback. Directly comparable to Carousel Teaching's CPD use case and in-class lesson footage library.
• GCSEPod: UK-focused content platform for GCSE and A-Level subjects, including knowledge-based review and quizzing. Comparable to Carousel's curriculum-aligned secondary question banks and exam-preparation use case.
• Seneca Learning: UK-based EdTech platform using adaptive quizzing and spaced repetition for GCSE and A-Level content. Highly comparable to Carousel's secondary school offering, including retrieval-practice methodology and curriculum-aligned question banks.
• HegartyMaths (Sparx Maths): UK-based, widely adopted by secondary schools for daily quizzing and homework in Maths. Directly comparable to Carousel's retrieval practice and homework-setting workflows in UK secondary schools.

Broad incumbents

• CENTURY Tech: UK AI-driven adaptive learning platform for schools combining diagnostics, content, and analytics. Broader incumbent offering that overlaps with Carousel's adaptive and analytics features at the school/MAT level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Carousel_Learn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carousel-learning

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carousel Learning