- schools, according to Sparx
- 2,600+
- students aged 11 to 16
- 2.2M+
- teachers
- 75K+
- turnover in 2024, company accounts
- £5.3M
About Sparx Learning
Sparx Learning is an Exeter company that sets weekly homework for secondary school students aged 11 to 16. It runs three systems: Sparx Maths, Sparx Reader and Sparx Science. Sparx counts more than 2,600 schools, 75,000 teachers and 2.2 million students, and says it works with over half of UK schools. Schools buy licences on a quote, and the Sparx Maths Curriculum is free for any school. Sparx Limited belongs to Oxygen House Group, which founder Mark Dixon controls.
Sparx builds homework systems for secondary schools. Each week a teacher picks the topics taught in class. Sparx Maths then builds about an hour of questions for each student, matched to what that student already knows. Students aim to answer 100% of the homework correctly, and bookwork checks ask them to show their written working.
Mark Dixon started the project in 2010 after a talk with another parent at the school gate. He had set up the Oxygen House group in Exeter in 2008. His team spent 8 years testing the system in schools before Sparx Maths opened to all schools in 2018. In September 2019 Sparx bought HegartyMaths, the video platform of teacher Colin Hegarty, and later merged it into Sparx Maths.
Sparx Reader followed in 2022 and Sparx Science in 2023. Colin Hegarty became CEO at the start of 2023. Sparx Limited reported a turnover of £5.3 million and a loss of £1.9 million for 2024, and its parent company funds the business. The company became a certified B Corp in March 2025. Sir Charlie Mayfield, former chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, has chaired the board since October 2025.
History
- 2010 Mark Dixon starts work on a maths system after a talk at the school gate.
- 2012 The company is registered in Exeter on 12 January as Supersparks Limited. It takes the name Sparx in April 2013.
- 2018 Sparx Maths opens to all schools after 8 years of research in partner schools.
- 2019 Sparx buys HegartyMaths in September. Simon Lebus becomes chair. Sparx then works with 14 schools in Devon.
- 2020 Sparx gives schools free remote teaching during Covid. More than 200 schools use it.
- 2021 RAND Europe and the University of Cambridge publish an analysis of Sparx Maths usage and results.
- 2022 Sparx retires HegartyMaths and launches Sparx Reader.
- 2023 Colin Hegarty becomes CEO. Sparx releases the free Sparx Maths Curriculum and starts Sparx Science with research schools.
- 2024 Students pass 5 billion answered questions. Black Belt Reader, a reading app for primary schools, appears on the App Store in April.
- 2025 Sparx becomes a certified B Corp in March. Sir Charlie Mayfield succeeds Simon Lebus as chair in October.
- 2026 Sparx counts more than 2,600 schools and 100 million hours of learning across maths, reading and science.
Leadership
- CH Colin Hegarty CEO, founder of HegartyMaths
- DMD Dr Mark Dixon Founder, Sparx Discovery
- ST Spencer Thompson Technology Director
- BA Brian Arnold Growth Director, co-founder of HegartyMaths
- FS Fay Sheppard Education Director
- SCM Sir Charlie Mayfield Chairman since October 2025
The board also includes Jill Jones, Roy Bedlow, Managing Partner of Oxygen House, and Glenn Woodcock. Colin Hegarty was UK Teacher of the Year in 2015, according to Wikipedia.
Careers
Greenhouse job board
1Exeter - Product1
How Sparx Maths works
- maths questions
- 45K+
- support videos
- 10K+
- homework target for every student
- 100%
- Personalised weekly homework
- Spaced repetition and interleaving
- Support video for every question
- Bookwork checks
- Teacher override of personalisation
- Weekly emails to parents
- Parent Portal
- Independent Learning
- Free five-year curriculum
Sparx commissioned RAND Europe and the University of Cambridge to analyse 2019 data from 3,956 Year 7 and Year 8 students in 14 UK schools. One hour a week on Sparx Maths was associated with an increase of almost 20% of a predicted GCSE grade. Access to Sparx Maths without regular use showed no link to maths results. Sparx also says students who practise for 15 minutes a week make 83% more progress than students who do no homework.
Subjects and levels at Sparx
Maths4
- Sparx Maths homework
- Key Stage 3
- GCSE
- Year 7 to Year 11 curriculum
Reading3
- Sparx Reader, ages 11 to 16
- Sparx Reading Test
- Black Belt Reader, primary schools
Science5
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Working scientifically
- Maths for science
Science specifications3
- AQA Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Trilogy
- Edexcel Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Combined
- KS3 national curriculum
From sparxmaths.com, sparxreader.com, sparxscience.com and the App Store listing of Black Belt Reader, checked on 6 October 2026. Sparx Maths, Reader and Science serve students aged 11 to 16.
Video, blogs and resources
Products
- Sparx Maths About an hour of personalised homework a week, built from the school’s scheme of learning. Every question has a support video, and bookwork checks ask students to write down their working. Sparx Maths
- Sparx Reader Students read ebooks at their level and answer questions as they go. Every word has a definition in context, and teachers see in real time how much each student reads. Sparx Reader
- Sparx Science Personalised science homework from a bank of more than 23,000 questions, with help for every question and flashcard practice for key facts. Sparx Science
- Sparx Maths Curriculum A free five-year maths curriculum for Year 7 to Year 11, with termly assessments and workbooks. Schools on Sparx Maths get homework plans aligned to it. View the curriculum
- Black Belt Reader A reading app for primary schools. Children read printed books and log their pages on a class device, moving through nine belts from White to Black. It works only with a school subscription. App Store
- For schools Schools and school groups buy Sparx on a quote. A School Success Team of former teachers and school leaders helps each school set the system up. Book a demo
How much is Sparx Learning?
- Sparx Maths On request school licence, from £600 a year on EdTech Impact
- Sparx Reader On request school licence
- Sparx Science On request school licence
- Black Belt Reader On request primary school subscription
- Free Sparx Maths Curriculum £0/mo Free, for any school
Is Sparx Learning free?
The Sparx Maths Curriculum is free for any school. Students and parents do not pay: the school holds the licence.
Sparx does not publish prices. Schools get a quote. EdTech Impact lists Sparx Maths from £600 a year, in pounds, on 6 October 2026. Licences are sold to schools only.
Sparx for schools
Book a demo- 01Sparx sells Maths, Reader and Science as whole-school systems for students aged 11 to 16.
- 02A School Success Team of former teachers supports each school.
- 03Teachers see live homework completion and class insights. Parents get a weekly email.
- 04Sparx says it saves teachers up to 5 hours a week.
Prices on a quote. Sparx Maths is listed from £600 a year on EdTech Impact, checked on 6 October 2026.
Ratings
- WebStudents work in the browser on maths.sparx-learning.com and reader.sparx-learning.com
- Any deviceSparx Reader works on any device, with dyslexia-friendly fonts and colour overlays
- Parent PortalParents follow homework and get an email before it is due
- iPhone and iPadBlack Belt Reader for primary schools, 3.1 from 15 ratings on the UK App Store
Is Sparx Learning worth it?
What students and parents like
- One hour a week of use was linked to higher maths results in the RAND Europe analysis.RAND Europe, 2021
- A head of maths writes that the school’s homework culture changed.Katie Holt, quoted on sparxmaths.com
- A student praises the website and wants more schools to use it.jeff, Trustpilot, September 2026
- A Year 7 student sees no problem with the homework.Ahaan Zayed Khan, Trustpilot, September 2026
What students and parents criticise
- 94% of Trustpilot reviews give 1 star.Trustpilot, 1,817 reviews
- The new interface hides questions solved before.Anirban Lahiri, Trustpilot, October 2026
- Students must log in every time and write all working down.Ben, Trustpilot, October 2026
- The new flashcards add more questions to each homework.Velma Samuel, Trustpilot, October 2026
- Sparx Reader makes students retry a section to move on.W Law, Trustpilot, October 2026
What users write in reviews, not our rating. Most Trustpilot reviews come from students who must use Sparx for school homework, and many 5-star reviews are jokes.
Sparx Learning reviews
- It went from a useful platform to a terrible one
“It was a reasonable platform previously, but the new UI is simply terrible.”
Anirban Lahiri · 4 October 2026 · App Store - I hate it
“It is a website not an app which is frustrating and you have to log in every time you open it.”
Ben · 4 October 2026 · App Store
Latest news
Contacts and company data
- Generalcontact@sparx.co.uk
- Phone+44 (0)20 3920 0020
- Recruitmentrecruitmentteam@sparx.co.uk
- SchoolsBook a demo
- Legal entity
- Sparx Limited, Oxygen House, Grenadier Road, Exeter, Devon, EX1 3LH, United Kingdom
- Company number
- 07907042, England and Wales
- Registered
- 12 January 2012, as Supersparks Limited
- Parent company
- Oxygen House Group Limited (08306319), 75% or more of shares
- Result 2024
- Turnover £5.31 million, loss of £1.93 million
- Audit 2024
- PricewaterhouseCoopers, qualified opinion
- B Corp
- Certified since March 2025, score 110.0
Alternatives to Sparx Learning
-
Seneca Learning🇬🇧 United Kingdom Free revision courses and teacher-set homework from KS2 to A Level, from London. → -
CENTURY Tech🇬🇧 United Kingdom Adaptive English, maths and science lessons for schools, from London. → -
Third Space Learning🇬🇧 United Kingdom One-to-one online maths tutoring sold to schools, from Swindon. → -
bettermarks🇩🇪 Germany An adaptive maths learning system for schools, from Berlin. →
How we built this profile
- Sources. Facts come from the company’s own website, press room, imprint and careers page, from Wikipedia, the App Store, Google Play and Trustpilot. Every source is listed on the page.
- Checks. Kinescope checked every number on 6 October 2026. Prices, ratings and job counts change, and we refresh them with each update.
- Our words. Descriptions are written by the Kinescope team. Quotes from reviews are marked with the author and source, and we do not rate the company ourselves.
- Corrections. The company can send new facts or corrections, and we update the profile.
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