Sparx Reader
How does Sparx reader work?
Sparx Reader helps every pupil to achieve regular independent reading, which is incredibly important for building vital literacy skills. Pupils can choose from a range of ebooks at their appropriate level and as they read, they’ll answer questions to check they’re reading carefully. Careful readers earn points meaning they can track their progress and climb the league table!
Each week, pupils will be set a number of Sparx Reader Points (SPR). Pupils gain these points from answering questions after carefully reading an extract. For every minute of careful reading it approximates that learners will receive 10 points.
Motivated readers who demonstrate consistent, careful reading can unlock Gold Reader. This means they can read any paper book from the library or from home by scanning in its barcode.
How can parents help their child with their home learning?
Sparx Reader adapts to each pupil’s reading level, so it’s important that parents don’t help by answering questions for them. If parents help pupils, Sparx Reader might think they’re a very strong reader and show them books that are too difficult.
Parents can, however, help to provide a quiet space for the child to focus on their reading home learning each week.The best way to support the children is to ask them about the book they’re reading; what aspects they’re enjoying, or what characters and events they’ve recently read about.
Parents can track and monitor Sparx Reader through the parent portal which is linked in the weekly Sparx Maths emails. For Sparx Reader, parents can see progress with the current and previous home learning, and browse books that your child has been reading as part of their current home learning.
Sparx Maths
How does Sparx Maths work?
Sparx personalises each child’s home learning, creating a weekly set of questions tailored to their level of understanding and learning pace. The questions are designed to be achievable whilst offering the stretch that learners need to make progress.
Each week, topics are set by your child’s maths teacher and will make up the majority of the home learning questions. Questions from previous topics will also be included in the home learning so that pupils can keep practising the skills they have learned.
How can parents help their child with their home learning?
Parents are encouraged not to help them with a question until they’ve had a go first. It is really important that pupils complete their home learning independently, and that questions are marked as correct. Pupils can watch the support video if they need to. This way, Sparx can make sure pupils continue to see home learning that’s at the right level for them.
Parents can keep track of their child’s home learning completion in the weekly email sent from Sparx. This will include a link to the parent portal which allows parents to monitor home learning more precisely.
Why do pupils need to achieve 100% compulsory home learning completion?
Sparx Home learning is deliberately designed to help pupils really get to grips with and understand the concepts and skills they are learning by ensuring they cover the essential building blocks needed to make progress in maths.
Sparx’ research (sparx.co.uk/evidence) has shown that an average of 60 minutes a week of this type of personalised maths home learning leads to clear progress. It is therefore advised that pupils do their home learning as early as possible, so they have the time to have a go themselves and seek help from their teacher if needed. Home learning is not marked as complete until all of the compulsory questions have been answered correctly, so starting early is key to finishing before hand-in time.
Tassomai – English & Science
How does Tassomai work?
Tassomai is a leading edtech (education technology) program that helps pupils learn and revise more effectively. The program combines multiple choice quizzes, short tutorial videos and links to external learning resources all tailored to your child’s individual learning needs by Tassomai’s adaptive algorithm. Tassomai is used by more than 500 schools and is proven to embed core subject knowledge and boost confidence in learners.
On Tassomai, pupils are set Daily Goals. Daily Goals asks pupils to answer a certain number of questions correctly each day – it is individualised for each pupil, and will always be between 20 and 60. Pupils should aim to complete four Daily Goals each week (teachers may choose to do one of these in lessons).
How can parents help their child with their home learning?
When a school uses Tassomai, parents and guardians are set up as “account overseers”. With the schools permission we send the account overseers a weekly progress report email every Monday morning.
The email includes a personalised link that takes overseers straight through to their personal online “Parent Dashboard” where they can see how their learner is getting on with their Tassomai goals.
The Parent Dashboard shows how many Daily Goals have been completed and which topics a learner is struggling with, it also includes some personalised links to relevant resources to help the learner with their studies.