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Secondary education

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Original poster

Sparx maths, how is it for you?!

90 replies

MaffsMover · 01/10/2022 15:13

DD is complaining about the new Sparx maths homework. Does anyone use it? Is it Hegarty with a deferent name? She used Hegarty before and I’m not sure why there was a change or what the difference is.

She seems to be taking hours to get to the 100 % correct answers as she finds the videos aren’t as helpful as the Hegarty ones.

Is Sparx problematic or does she just need to get used to the change?

OP posts:
Bluegingerbread · 03/10/2022 10:53

Mine are both good at Maths and hate Sparx. They liked Hegarty. Before that we had iXL which was awful but mainly because it seemed set up to punish you which could have been the school's settings rather than the actual software default I guess.

Original poster
MaffsMover · 03/10/2022 16:26

AugustRose · 02/10/2022 14:55

If a child gets an individual question wrong then they get another one. This is true, they get another question using the same concept/type of question. But if they don't understand the concept just changing the numbers doesn't always help - and that's my DDs issue with it.

Yes, this seems to be my child’s issue too.

OP posts:
Original poster
MaffsMover · 03/10/2022 16:28

And yes, it’s obviously going to be called Spanx as it’s pants. I don’t know what PR media whizz didn’t spot that a mile off.

OP posts:
dizzygirl1 · 03/10/2022 17:01

We've started using this this year. DD hates it, it emails saying she hasn't done homework when she has and when she wasn't aware it was set. Dd also struggles with the length of time as pp have said and the repetitive nature of the questions when she gets one wrong and doesn't know the concept/type - she finds it demoralising.

PerrinAybara · 03/10/2022 22:24

DC1 is year 7 and started on Sparx this year. What is the point of the book check? I cannot see what it adds apart from the chore of writing down answers

Tittyfilarious81 · 03/10/2022 22:38

Ds in year 11 absolutely hates sparx maths , we've been told it's much better but to be honest my son just finds it really annoying.

dizzygirl1 · 04/10/2022 07:25

Tittyfilarious81 · 03/10/2022 22:38

Ds in year 11 absolutely hates sparx maths , we've been told it's much better but to be honest my son just finds it really annoying.

@Tittyfilarious81 exactly the same DD is year 11 too.

Poseidensgrumpyneighbour · 05/10/2022 10:58

Interesting thread - my Y10 DD is really strong in maths, previously had Hegarty which she loved and HATES Sparx. I don’t get involved in homework but she seems to spend hours and hours doing it every week (and she does Further Maths as well so gets extra homework on top). Might email the school based on what I’ve read here.

Kleine · 05/10/2022 11:52

Funny, DS has just switched from MathsWatch to Sparks and he thinks it's much less annoying. Mathswatch made him watch long videos on things he already understood, and sometimes you just couldn't input the answers in a way that the system would mark right. (In a way that was ok though, it forced him to fight his perfectionist tendencies.)

Early days for us with Sparks though, and I agree collecting cat cards is not a way to motivate Y9s.

Original poster
MaffsMover · 07/10/2022 19:55

Thanks all. DD didn’t know she could collect cat cards… I think if she was a bit less Kevin the Teenager about the whole thing that would actually be a motivation. V uncool but, it’s cats!

I am glad it’s working out for some DC but reassured that the problems are Sparx based!

OP posts:
chiswick1 · 07/12/2022 08:34

It's making EVERYONE lose their minds.

chiswick1 · 07/12/2022 08:35

Well, I'll tell you what it really is: IT'S A FLIPPING NIGHTMARE!!!

Original poster
MaffsMover · 07/12/2022 10:14

Oh deae@chiswick1 😀I feel your pain. It’s not getting much better here. It takes fooking ages and she doesn’t understand why she’s getting things wrong. Resigned to it.

OP posts:
DomingoinLittleOakley · 07/12/2022 10:22

Yep, DS in year 10 hated Hegarty, but really hates Sparx. It takes forever and as he's not actually very good at maths, rarely gets 100% and I can hear him raging "I don't know how to do that, stop asking me the same questions with different numbers!" He's actually reached the point now where he's happy to take a C1 consequence for not doing the homework, as he's learning bugger all from it and it just stresses him out.

converseandjeans · 07/12/2022 10:40

We don't help lots with homework but do support. However Sparx has become our homework as unless DS gets 100% it's marked as unfinished. It just keeps churning more tasks out of a similar ilk until you get it correct. Then there's all the noting down codes & unless you do that you have to go back to the beginning.

I don't think DS would do work unless we supported. DD can manage the work independently.

It's been interesting going back to Maths from 30 years ago!

I don't see how it can be avoided helping them as if they keep making mistakes it's flagged up as incomplete. I get emails as reminder too!!

Land0r · 07/12/2022 10:46

DD2 (yr9) uses it and really dislikes the videos. They are set Compulsory, XP Boost and something else with a name I can't recall every week. The 'reward' for doing anything beyond the Compulsory is even more Sparx exercises! DD usually does all 3 categories though. The Bookwork Check thing used to drive her crazy, but she's used to that now.

chiswick1 · 07/12/2022 10:48

As someone wise said: You say peacock, nobody bats an eye. You say headock...Everybody LOSES THEIR MINDS!!!
(Is it just me or does Sparx have to go?)

Original poster
MaffsMover · 07/12/2022 17:15

Sigh. It’s not going anywhere though is it? I don’t think DD would have gone on to study anything STEM anyway but Sparx has as sure as heck made certain of that.

OP posts:
Idratherbepaddleboarding · 07/12/2022 17:21

DS didn’t mind Hegarty but he hates Sparx too. I don’t see how it’s helping either.

Coralpop · 07/12/2022 17:31

Ha! DD is y7 so new to Sparx maths...she gets very indignant when I tell her I've had an email encouraging her to start her homework and it isn't due in for 3 more days!

canyouextrapol · 07/12/2022 22:58

Dd who's always been miles ahead in maths hated sparx. It took her forever then she'd have to randomly cross reference codes with earlier questions which seemed completely pointless. The school has now switched to dr frost maths but her teacher never seems to set anything so I don't know what she thinks of it

Fartymcfart · 07/12/2022 23:12

My kids find sparx fine.

you can do a little bit every school night as its split into sections so doesn't have to be done all at once, though one kids gets it over with and the other just does a little bit every night as he struggles to concentrate for longer periods.

It never takes anywhere near an hour though, 30 minutes max for my older son?

Last year they had hegerty but it never seemed to work and they never seemed to have any homework, so this at least means they are doing something

Verite1 · 07/12/2022 23:29

My DS has Sparx and absolutely loathes it.

chiswick1 · 08/12/2022 11:58

Well, I think we all know the right thing to do... GET RID OF IT SO THAT NO ONE HAS TO LOSE THEIR MINDS FROM IT AGAIN!!!!

Spud90 · 08/12/2022 16:10

We've only used Sparx but think it's fine. From what I've seen, Hegarty used to give 3 attempts at the correct answer then would just mark it wrong and move on. Whereas Sparx won't let you move on until you've got the question right and gives you a new question after 3 wrong attempts. I prefer it like that as DS has been known to just guess so he can get his homework out of the way even if it's wrong.

He gets 6 tasks a week with 3-9 questions per task so he does one task a day and it doesn't seem to take him that long. Bookmark checks are a bit of a pain but as long as he's written them down right it's fine.