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Draft:Sparx maths

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  • Comment: We need multiple independent secondary sources with in depth coverage. I'm not seeing them here. Stuartyeates (talk) 23:01, 13 June 2026 (UTC)


Sparx maths
Type of site
Online tutoring
Available inEnglish
Area servedUnited Kingdom
OwnerDr Mark Dixon
IndustryEducation
ServicesSubscription
URLsparxmaths.com
AdvertisingYes
CommercialYes
RegistrationRequired
Launched2018
Current statusOperating

Sparx Maths is an educational subscription-based tool used by schools in the United Kingdom. It is primarily used as a replacement for general mathematics homework tasks for students aged 11-16.[1][2] Sparx Maths was created after its predecessor Hegarty Maths was purchased by Sparx Learning.[3]

History

[edit]

Sparx is the successor to Hegarty Maths having being created following Sparx Maths' parent company, Sparx Learning, acquired Hegarty for an undisclosed sum iin 2019[3] Later that year Sparx secured a 50 million pound investment.[4][5]Hegarty was shut down in 2022 "after 3 years spent incorporating its best features and learnings into Sparx Maths" in the following year and Collin Hegarty was appointed CEO of Sparx Learning.[6] In 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic Sparx allowed their services to be used for free by schools. following the pandemic the company returned to paid service.

Usage

[edit]

Sparx is used as a digital alternative homework in English Secondary schools with tasks aimed at students aged 11-16[7]. There are over 40 thousand questions and 10 thousand "support" videos on the site with questions being selected for students using an AI-powered algorithm[8][9] assignments and are a set of 7 tasks each having between 3 and 8 questions with each question having an associated support video. There are also options for students to complete individual optional revision.

Criticism

[edit]

Sparx is very often criticized by student and parents as demotivating, frustrating and having no way for parents to easily help.[10][11][12] It is also criticized for having too many question for children often being referred to as a chore, as well as mentions of bad design, poor support resources and broken questions, often impairing students' ability to complete the set homework, which is paramount in schools.[13][14][15] An independent review by the University of Cambridge found that "There is no evidence that access to Sparx Maths alone (regardless of usage) is associated with maths outcomes"[16] This review was further supported by RAND Europe[17] .

  1. ^ "Sparx Maths - A parent's guide to Sparx Maths". sparxmaths.com. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  2. ^ "Sparx Maths – BESA LendED". www.lended.org.uk. Retrieved 2026-07-03.
  3. ^ a b "Entrepreneur teacher sells online maths business | Tes Magazine". www.tes.com. Retrieved 2025-12-11.
  4. ^ Turner, Charlotte (2019-09-06). "Devon school learning tech company secures £20million investment". Business Live. Retrieved 2026-05-15.
  5. ^ Business, Bdaily (2019-09-06). "£50m investment for edtech Sparx". Bdaily Business News. Retrieved 2026-05-15. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  6. ^ "Sparx Learning - Our story so far". sparx-learning.com. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
  7. ^ Academy, Sir Geoffrey Leigh (2025-09-12). "Sparx Maths Homework". Sir Geoffrey Leigh Academy. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
  8. ^ "Sparx Maths - Impact". sparxmaths.com. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
  9. ^ "The Wikipedia Library". wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org. Retrieved 2026-06-12.
  10. ^ "Sparx Maths | Reviews 2025: Features, Price, Alternatives". edtechimpact.com. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
  11. ^ "sparx maths | Mumsnet". www.mumsnet.com. Archived from the original on 2024-06-09. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
  12. ^ "Sparx Maths | Reviews 2026: Features, Price, Alternatives". edtechimpact.com. Retrieved 2026-07-03.
  13. ^ "Rob Eastaway". robeastaway.com. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
  14. ^ "Sparx Learning is rated "Bad" with 1.2 / 5 on Trustpilot". Trustpilot. 2026-01-22. Retrieved 2026-01-30.
  15. ^ "Our outdated education system feels viscerally wrong". The Guardian. 2025-09-02. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-06-12.
  16. ^ "Microsoft Word - Independent Analysis of the Relationship Between Sparx Maths and Maths Outcomes key findings_FINAL.docx" (PDF).
  17. ^ "Analysing the relationship between Sparx Maths and maths outcomes". www.rand.org. Retrieved 2026-07-03.