This article explains how to manage the end of your current academic year and prepare for the new academic year in Sparx Reader.
End of year preparations
Agree to a subscription
Agree to a subscription
Check your subscription status in 'Managemenht' → 'School Settings' → 'Subscription'
Agree to next year's subscription before the current year ends, if you haven't done so already
If your school's Sparx subscription is managed by your MAT, you will not need to take any action
See Managing your Sparx subscription for payment timing options
About class sync pausing
About class sync pausing
For most of the academic year, we'll automatically sync changes from your school's MIS overnight, but we pause these automatic updates towards the end of each academic year because:
Many schools start adding next year's classes into their MIS before the end of the academic year, and
If we were to sync these changes to Sparx this could result in current classes and students being removed too early
We'll show you a notification in your Sparx Reader site when we pause the sync.
If you want to sync changes in your MIS across to Sparx Reader during this period, you'll need to run a manual sync as described in our Adding classes and students article.
Please be aware that if you run a manual sync towards the end of the academic year and significant changes have been made in your MIS (for example, next year's classes have been set up and this year's classes have been removed), these will be reflected in Sparx Reader which may not be your intention.
Pay careful attention to your sync preview before completing the sync.
If next year's classes have been set up in your MIS and you want to start using them now, please contact us using the 'Help & Support' option in your Sparx Reader site as there are some things we'll need to change for you
Setting up for the new academic year
About reset mode
About reset mode
When you reach your academic year end date in Sparx Reader (for most UK schools, this is 31st August), your site will move into reset mode. During this time:
No new homework can be set
Students can still complete outstanding work
Students can continue reading
Previous homework data remains accessible
Download any data that you want to keep
Download any data that you want to keep
Download any reports in the Reporting area relating to the academic year that has ended, Student Activity Report, Student Insights Report and Sparx Reading Test Report. See Accessing and interpreting reports for more information.
Important: these will not be available after you reset your site, and we will not be able to recover this data after reset.
Follow the steps in your Sparx Reader site
Follow the steps in your Sparx Reader site
Once your school has entered reset mode, you'll see a message on your dashboard advising you that you need to set your school up for the new school year
Click this to go to your school's new school year setup page, which will guide you through the following steps:
Review staff & key contacts and make any changes needed
Reset your Sparx Reader site
Import your student data for the new year
Create homework plans for the new year
Review parent email settings
Review login settings
Class setup ahead of first homework
Class setup ahead of first homework
Once you import your new classes, you will need to complete some setup steps before students start receiving homework. See Steps to setting your first homework for more information.
Frequently asked questions
Why are my classes not ready to import for the new year?
Why are my classes not ready to import for the new year?
When your school's MIS administrator adds students to the school timetable, and assigns them their classes, there will be a 'go live' date recorded in your MIS. This date is normally the first day of classes when students return.
Until this date, your student data will not be available to Sparx Reader, so it won't be able to show your students. Try importing your classes and students again once your MIS is ready.
Will teachers and students lose access during the reset?
Will teachers and students lose access during the reset?
Teachers maintain full access to Sparx during the reset period. Once you reset your site, students will temporarily lose access until their new class has been added.