Sparx Reader

Welcome to Sparx Reader at Cecil Jones Academy!

We are excited to introduce Sparx Reader as our new reading platform here at Cecil Jones Academy. After careful consideration, we made the decision to move to Sparx Reader because it offers a more personalised experience for every student — matching each reader to books at exactly the right level, tracking reading in real time, and giving teachers much richer insight into how students are progressing. Unlike our previous platform, Sparx Reader also works seamlessly as a homework tool, meaning students can read and earn points from home on any device, building consistent reading habits beyond the school day.

Get ready to dive into new worlds, meet unforgettable characters, and unlock amazing rewards along the way. Sparx Reader is all about making your reading journey fun and rewarding — as you challenge yourself with new books, you'll have the chance to collect badges, win prizes, and earn special recognition throughout the year. So, grab a book and let the adventure begin!

What is Sparx Reader?

Sparx Reader is an online reading platform designed to help you practise reading regularly, building the confidence and skills you need for success at secondary school and beyond. Students are offered books suited to their individual reading level from a wide and varied library. As you read, you answer questions along the way to help you stay focused and engaged with the story. Every word in the ebooks includes a contextual definition, so you can look up unfamiliar vocabulary as you go. You also earn Sparx Reader Points (SRP) as you read, and can compete with classmates on the leaderboard.

How does Sparx Reader Work at our School?

At Cecil Jones, Sparx Reader is an important part of your reading journey. We understand that reading affects all aspects of learning and we strive to create a positive culture of reading for our students. To support our pupils, we have a wide range of reading books available to borrow from our library for a 28-day period. Our library is frequently updated and pupils are able to vote for books that they would like to find in our catalogue.

All Year 7 and Year 8 students complete Sparx Reader as part of their regular reading homework. Students begin by completing the Sparx Reading Test, which sets their personal reading level and ensures they are matched to books that are challenging but achievable. This test can be repeated throughout the year to track progress, and the data is shared with students, parents, and staff so that everyone understands how we can support each student to become the best reader they can be.

Sparx Reader works on any device — laptop, tablet, or phone — so students can read at home or at school. Accessibility features including dyslexia-friendly fonts, colour overlays, and reading rulers are built in to support all learners.

A Strong Reading Culture

At our school, reading is at the heart of everything we do. We believe that the more opportunities you have to read, the more confident and skilled you will become. That's why reading isn't just part of Sparx Reader — it's woven into the whole school day.

• Weekly reading lessons - Once a week in English, each class has a chosen class reader that they enjoy together, with set reading tasks to practise comprehension, inference and summary skills.
• Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) – Every Thursday during PM registration, the whole school takes part in DEAR. For around 15 minutes, everyone stops what they're doing and reads — creating a community where reading is celebrated together.
• Reading interventions – Some students will be paired with specialist literacy teachers, who can support and encourage them to improve their reading skills.
• Phonics sessions – There are also opportunities to work in small groups with teachers trained on phonics to get extra support and build confidence.
• Sparx Reading Test – Students complete the Sparx Reading Test to track their reading progress throughout the year. The test sets a personalised reading level, helping students and teachers identify the right books and set meaningful reading goals.

Reading doesn't stop at the end of the school day. Every page you read at home counts towards your progress on Sparx Reader. Log in using the link below to continue reading and earning points from home.

Rewards

Alongside reading, we combine a reward and success system that recognises personal progress and inter-tutor competition. As students read carefully and answer questions successfully, they earn Sparx Reader Points (SRP). Totals are updated regularly and students can check their own progress and leaderboard position when they log in.

Top Readers from each form, Top Tutor Groups, and Top Improvers are celebrated in the weekly bulletin, newsletter, and assembly.

Individual badge winners are updated regularly to show recognition for all their hard work and progress as a Reading Champion! These can be found towards the back of the weekly newsletters on the school's website.

There are many more prizes and surprises to celebrate your participation and successes, so… Read! Read! Read!

SRP Milestone Prizes:

• 5,000 SRP – Certificate
• 10,000 SRP – Bronze Bookworm Badge and Certificate
• 25,000 SRP – Silver Bookworm Badge and Certificate
• 50,000 SRP – Gold Bookworm Badge and Certificate (special milestone certificate from Sparx)
• 75,000 SRP – Golden Owl Badge and Certificate
• 100,000 SRP – A Choice of Book for the Library with the student’s book recommendation on the inside cover