Sparx launches national maths pilot Numerise to boost maths learning at home

Personalised maths programme is powered by proven AI technology and incorporates Secondary Ready, providing maths support for children starting secondary school in September

Sparx – the socially focused learning technology company – has launched a national pilot for Numerise, an online, home-learning maths product for 10 to 16 year old's covering Key Stage 3 and GCSE Maths. To support parents with the current challenges of remote schooling, Numerise is available free-of-charge over the summer period.

Numerise draws on a bank of over 38,000 handwritten questions and 9,000 video tutorials and is designed to engage, motivate and support the learner. Numerise uses artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver personalised maths learning to each learner. This ensures that every student progresses at a pace that’s right for them, identifying where they are struggling and setting achievable maths questions.

Numerise is powered by the award-winning technology Sparx uses in its school’s platforms, Sparx Maths and Sparx Maths Virtual Classroom, which is used globally by more than 600 schools and based on nine years of in-school research.

Dan Sandhu, CEO of Sparx said:

“Lockdown means young people have already lost weeks of face to face maths teaching and we know parents are concerned about the potential impact. We’ve spent more than nine years working with teachers to understand how educational technology can help them and we are delighted to be able to apply this understanding to help parents. Numerise is underpinned by our knowledge of how young people learn maths and we believe it can help to power-up maths home learning and boost confidence in young people.”

Secondary Ready helps children step up to secondary school maths

Numerise incorporates Secondary Ready, designed specifically for children in their last year of primary so they can develop their core number skills and be ready to make a positive start at secondary school in September. More than 600,000 children[2] start secondary school in September, but lockdown means many are missing out on essential maths learning and will struggle to catch up ahead of secondary school. Secondary Ready is mapped to the maths curriculum that children study in their final year of primary school and is powered by Sparx’ award-winning technology used in schools across the country.

Colin Hegarty, Founder of HegartyMaths and Education Director at Sparx said:

“Moving from primary school to secondary is a milestone moment in children’s lives. We know that one of the key pillars of successful secondary transition is curriculum continuity, especially in maths. COVID-19 means children need more support now to be ready for the more advanced maths they’ll learn in September. Secondary Ready is free to everyone in the UK and I believe can provide the extra boost children need to make a great start at secondary maths.”

Dan Harmer, Assistant Principal at Marine Academy, Plymouth, with responsibility for Year 7 transition said:

“School closures mean that the majority of children joining Marine Academy in Sept will have covered less ground in maths that we would normally expect. Any help they can access to work on the fundamentals of maths is welcome. We’re planning to provide extra support to our new Year 7 students so they can really flourish at maths and ultimately give all students the option to go to University when they leave us"

Marie Goldman, whose child starts secondary school in September said:

“Starting secondary school is a real milestone and I want to ensure my child has the best start despite lockdown. Often children start Y7 work at the end of Y6 but that’s unlikely this year even if schools do re-open. So, any tool that can help to give children extra support in a subject like maths is really useful and will give parents some peace of mind.”

Moira Marder, CEO of The Ted Wragg Trust said:

“We know that the transition from Year 6 to Year 7 can be tough for students, especially in core subjects like maths. Given the current circumstances this transition may prove even more important. Our focus is that every child starting at a Ted Wragg secondary school has the skills and confidence they need to make a great start in September. Maths is a key subject where children can feel anxious and that’s why we’re recommending parents encourage their children to complete the Secondary Ready course as a positive step in their maths home learning.”

Numerise, incorporating Secondary Ready, is the latest offering from the Sparx Family which also includes Sparx Maths and HegartyMaths. Sparx products are used in 80 countries around the world and are already supporting 1.2 million learners. Sparx’s research shows that using Sparx Maths for four hours per week, on average, helps increase Sparx students’ predicted GCSE Maths result by one GCSE grade and helps disadvantaged students progress at the same rate as other students.