What Sparx Maths does

Sparx Learning (legal entity Sparx Ltd) is a UK-based educational technology company headquartered in Exeter, Devon, founded in 2010 by Dr Mark Dixon. It builds cloud-based adaptive learning platforms for UK secondary schools, anchored on three core products: Sparx Maths (the legacy flagship providing personalised homework, video explanations, and real-time analytics), Sparx Reader (literacy development via curated young-adult fiction and adapted classic texts, launched 2022), and Sparx Science (science knowledge and practice, launched 2023). The underlying technology uses billions of student interaction data points to drive adaptive question selection, intelligent hints, and iterative content redesign, with a separate Sparx Assessments module providing baseline testing and personalised Fix-Up follow-up.

The company operates a B2B subscription model selling whole-school licences to secondary schools and Multi-Academy Trusts across the United Kingdom, supplemented by a free Sparx Maths Curriculum resource that acts as a freemium acquisition channel. Distribution is handled by a dedicated School Success Team of ex-teachers and school leaders who provide implementation coaching and ongoing support under a whole-school deployment philosophy rather than individual-teacher licences. As of 2025, Sparx supports 2,700+ schools, 2.2m+ students, and 75k+ teachers, has delivered over 100m hours of learning, and holds B-Corp certification. Governance is led by CEO Colin Hegarty (founder of the merged HegartyMaths entity, in role since January 2023) with Sir Charlie Mayfield joining as Chair in October 2025; the company remains privately held with no external venture or private equity funding disclosed.

Name

Sparx Maths

Legal name

Sparx Ltd

Website

https://sparx-learning.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Sparx Learning is a UK-based EdTech company that sells whole-school subscriptions to adaptive learning platforms in maths, science, and reading, serving 2,700+ secondary schools, 75,000+ teachers, and 2.2m+ students across the United Kingdom.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Educational Software

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Adaptive Learning & Personalized Instruction Software (EDAJAMAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Online Math Enrichment Platforms & Courses (EDAMAEAF)

Keywords

• Adaptive learning software
• Maths homework platform
• School learning platform
• Educational technology
• Student assessment tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Exeter

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. School subscription licensing: Subscription-based licensing to secondary schools across the UK. Schools pay for access to Sparx Maths platform with personalised homework, analytics, and teacher support tools. Revenue model aligned with whole-school deployment approach.
2. Free curriculum resources: Sparx Maths Curriculum offered completely free to all schools, leveraging content from paid platform. Strategy to drive adoption and brand awareness, converting schools to full platform usage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sparx Maths, part of Sparx Learning, sells cloud-based adaptive learning platforms (Sparx Maths, Sparx Reader and Sparx Science) to UK secondary schools on annual whole-school subscriptions. Each system delivers personalised homework and practice, video explanations, intelligent hints, real-time analytics for teachers and parent communications, supported by an in-house School Success Team of ex-teachers that coaches schools on implementation and continued usage. A free curriculum resource (Sparx Maths Curriculum) is offered alongside the paid platforms to drive adoption.

Product overview

Sparx Learning operates as a multi-product educational technology company offering three core platforms under the Sparx brand: Sparx Maths (personalised maths homework and practice), Sparx Reader (reading practice with curated YA literature), and Sparx Science (science learning with practical skills focus). The products share underlying principles including high-impact pedagogy, ambitious but achievable goals, world-class content design, personalised support, and behavioural insights. Additional offerings include free resources like the Sparx Maths Curriculum, assessment tools like Sparx Assessments with baseline testing and Fix-Up follow-up work, and features such as Times Tables practice and Flashcards. The suite supports over 2.2m students, 75k teachers, and 2,700+ schools, and has delivered over 100 million hours of learning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sparx Maths: Building maths confidence through personalised homework for secondary school students.
• Sparx Reader
• Sparx Science

Products and services

• Sparx Maths Personalised maths homework platform that builds maths confidence through adaptive practice, video explanations and real-time feedback. Used by 2.2m+ students and 75k+ teachers across 2,700+ UK secondary schools.
• Sparx Reader Reading practice platform that builds confident readers through regular reading practice with curated young adult fiction and adapted classic texts (Easy Readers including Shakespeare and 19th-century works).
• Sparx Science Science learning platform improving scientific knowledge through thoughtful practice, flashcards, working-scientifically topics and Year 7 baseline assessments.
• Sparx Maths Curriculum Free curriculum resource for schools containing the same content used in Sparx Maths, offered free to all schools to drive adoption and brand awareness regardless of whether they subscribe to the paid platform.
• Sparx Assessments Assessment platform offering formative baseline assessments, class-level reporting, personalised Fix-Up follow-up work and national comparison data to help teachers identify and close knowledge gaps (e.g. KS2-3 transition baseline assessment with QLA for 146,806 students).

Quantifiable outcome

• 5 minutes of weekly Times Tables practice led to 50% more progress than without it (RCT with 7,827 students across 103 schools)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Badger LearningminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBadger Learning is referenced as a partner publisher for Sparx Reader content. Sarah Capon, Book Collections Developer at Badger Learning, contributed commentary on YA fiction's role in supporting young readers. Badger Learning supplies physical and digital reading resources to schools.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MyMaths: MyMaths is a long-established UK online maths homework and practice platform sold via school subscription to secondary schools, with a similar interactive homework model and school-wide deployment approach as Sparx Maths.
• GCSEPod: GCSEPod is a UK secondary school B2B subscription platform delivering curriculum-aligned multimedia learning and revision content, directly comparable to Sparx Maths in its whole-school UK secondary school sales motion and subject content focus.
• Mathletics: Mathletics is a global adaptive maths learning platform serving primary and secondary schools with personalised practice, competitions, and curriculum-aligned content, directly comparable to Sparx Maths on product functionality and school subscription model.
• Century Tech: Century Tech is a UK AI-driven personalised learning platform for schools covering English, maths and science with adaptive pathways and analytics, a direct peer to Sparx in its AI-personalised, multi-subject, UK school-targeted approach.
• Atom Learning: Atom Learning is a UK adaptive learning platform for primary and secondary schools covering maths, English and science with personalised practice and teacher dashboards, comparable to Sparx's adaptive, multi-subject UK school model.
• Doodle Learning: Doodle Learning provides adaptive maths and English apps for primary and secondary schools in the UK and internationally, with a personalised-practice model comparable to Sparx Maths though with a stronger consumer/home-user orientation.
• HegartyMaths: HegartyMaths was a direct UK maths homework platform peer founded by Colin Hegarty before it merged with Sparx Maths in September 2019; its brand was retired in 2022 and absorbed into Sparx Maths. It is the historical peer that became part of the subject company.
• EdShed (EdPlace): EdShed (parent of EdPlace) is a UK school-targeted adaptive learning platform covering maths, English and science with subscription school licences, comparable to Sparx on subject breadth and UK primary/secondary school sales motion.

Broad incumbents

• Khan Academy: Khan Academy is a large free global learning platform with personalised maths, science and reading practice widely used in UK and US schools; a broad incumbent peer to Sparx with overlapping adaptive learning functionality but free, broader scope, and less UK-school-specific.

Emerging players

• Oak National Academy: Oak National Academy is a UK government-backed free online classroom resource for teachers covering a full curriculum, comparable to Sparx in supporting UK secondary teaching but free, government-funded, and not school-licensed adaptive practice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sparxlearning
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sparx---illuminating-learning
• Facebookfacebook.com/sparxmaths

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sparx Maths