The power of Sparx in partnership with St James School

St James is a mixed secondary school in Exeter. With over 650 students, they are committed to raising standards to help their students move onto exciting post 16 activities and ultimately helping them to lead successful lives.  

St James adopted Sparx five years ago to help them address the gaps in numeracy they saw in their KS3 students. The project has not only helped the school address many of these gaps, but has also had a positive effect on staff, freeing up valuable time and helping to support their overall wellbeing.

Sparx automatically sets one hour of personalised maths homework for every student, every week. The teacher dashboard allows teachers to see at a glance, those students who haven’t completed their homework. It also highlights areas where individual students might be struggling or identifies topics that the whole class might be finding difficult.

“The feedback we get on each student’s homework is rich with insights that allow us to know exactly how to support and encourage each one.” – Sally Vine, Maths Teacher, St James.

Teachers at St James have also been impressed by how engaged students become in maths. Because it is completely personalised, students can work at their own level, and at their own speed, without fear of being judged by their peers.

“I like doing my Sparx homework because it’s better than all the other homeworks. It chooses the questions you get and how many you get depending on what you struggle with and what you’re good at.” – Student at St James.

The programme automatically feeds back to students when questions are right or wrong. Tutorial videos also encourage independent learning, helping to build confidence but also supporting the student when they need it.

“They know immediately if they’re able to do that question. It really helps them moving forward and feeling confident. The immediate feedback for me is very powerful.” – Pip Stevens, Maths Teacher, St James.

Sparx is now being rolled out across other schools in the same Multi-Academy Trust.

“Sparx homework is bespoke for each student which is fantastic – it really tailors to the students’ individual needs in a way any teacher would dream to be able to do.”

For more information, or to become a Sparx school, email [email protected].