Recognising students who go above and beyond
Gold Reader has evolved and we’re introducing our new Gold Reader status, an earned status designed to recognise students who go above and beyond with their reading. It gives you a clear way to celebrate your most dedicated readers, recognise sustained effort in school.
Our previous version of Gold Reader allowed students who had earned a ‘Gold Reader pass’ the ability to log physical books and gain Sparx Reader Points (SRP) towards their homework tasks. When we previously reviewed manual book logging, it was clear these logs couldn’t give the same level of confidence as reading completed and checked within Sparx Reader. That’s why our new physical book logs don’t award Sparx Reader Points (SRP) or contribute towards completing homework. Instead, they help students reflect on their wider reading and give teachers and librarians a clearer starting point for reading conversations. Find out more about the new Wider Reading area here: The Bookshelf and logging wider reading [Add link once published]
How students earn Gold Reader status
How students earn Gold Reader status
Students become Gold Readers when they earn at least 100 SRP above their homework target (earn a star) in four of their last six homeworks.
A few things to bear in mind about earning stars:
Stars must be earned before the homework deadline: a student who reaches 100 SRP over target after the deadline has passed won't earn a star for that homework.
Students can only go above and beyond the homework target when they're up to date with their current homework tasks. If a new homework is set before an existing one is due (for example, earlier on the same day), students have to complete the later homework before they can overachieve on the earlier one. This is because we encourage completion of homework before going above and beyond - so it's worth encouraging students to complete homework before the deadline day to give themselves the chance to earn a star.
Students set to optional or half-length homework can earn Gold Reader in the same way, by consistently going above and beyond their homework target (for optional students, the target is zero SRP).
Students can only earn stars on homework tasks, so students who aren't set homework won't have the opportunity to earn Gold Reader.
Gold Reader status can't be granted manually by teachers, and it can't be taken away manually either - it's earned entirely through students' own reading.
What students see
What students see
Students are shown their progress towards earning a star on each homework. When they reach 4 stars on their last 6 homeworks, they see a celebratory screen with a medal to mark becoming a Gold Reader, and the medal also appears on their homepage.
Maintaining Gold Reader status
Maintaining Gold Reader status
Students have to keep going above and beyond to maintain their status - Gold Reader isn't earned once and kept forever.
You may occasionally see a student with only three stars in their last six homeworks who still shows as a Gold Reader. This is because Gold Reader status is maintained until the due date of an active homework: if one of a Gold Reader's qualifying homeworks rolls out of the 6-homework window, they won't lose the status until their current homework's deadline passes, giving them the chance to star that homework and keep their Gold Reader status.
Gold Reader Reporting
Gold Reader Reporting
Seeing who has earned Gold Reader status
Seeing who has earned Gold Reader status
To see who has earned Gold Reader status, go to Reporting > Reports > Gold Readers. You can select to view your Gold Readers by class, registration or year group. From this Gold Readers reporting page, you will be able to see:
Who currently has Gold Reader status
A view of previous Gold Reader status this academic year
The total number of stars each student has earned this academic year
Student Summary Page
Student Summary Page
We've updated the Student Summary page to help you track progress towards Gold Reader. To find this, go to Student Manager and click on the student's name, or search for a student in the search bar in the top right of your site.
The table now shows each student's on-time SRP (the SRP earned before the homework deadline, which is what counts towards earning a star). Homeworks where a student earned a star are marked with a star icon (explained in the updated key), and hovering over the header shows you when a student earned their Gold Reader status.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does having Gold Reader status give a student?
What does having Gold Reader status give a student?
Gold Reader is an earned status that helps you celebrate students who consistently go above and beyond their homework target. It no longer allows students to complete homework by reading physical books; instead, it's a status that's celebrated in Sparx Reader, and can be celebrated in school and with parents.
Why can my student not earn Gold Reader when homeworks overlap?
Why can my student not earn Gold Reader when homeworks overlap?
Students can only go above and beyond the homework target when they are up to date with current homework tasks. If a new homework is set before an existing homework is due (e.g. earlier on the same day), students have to complete their later homework task before they can overachieve on their earlier homework task. This is because we encourage completion of homeworks before going above and beyond. In this case, encourage students to complete their next homework or, more generally, complete their homework before deadline day in order to get a chance to earn a homework star.
A student has earned 100 SRP over their target, but not earned a star, why?
A student has earned 100 SRP over their target, but not earned a star, why?
In order to earn a star, they must earn 100 SRP over their target before the homework deadline. It's likely if you're seeing a student hasn't earned a star, this is because they have completed the homework after the deadline.
Can a student earn Gold Reader if they don't have homework set?
Can a student earn Gold Reader if they don't have homework set?
Students can only earn stars for going above and beyond on a homework task, so if a student isn't set homework, they won't have the opportunity to earn Gold Reader. If this doesn't fit how your school uses Sparx Reader, we'd love to hear more; please get in touch and let us know what you're trying to achieve.
Can a student lose Gold Reader status once they've earned it?
Can a student lose Gold Reader status once they've earned it?
Yes, students must consistently go above and beyond to maintain Gold Reader status. If a student fails to earn a star on two subsequent tasks after having achieved Gold Reader they will lose the status.
Why does a student who has only earned three stars in their last six homeworks still have Gold Reader?
Why does a student who has only earned three stars in their last six homeworks still have Gold Reader?
Gold Reader status is maintained until the due date of an active homework, giving the student an opportunity to 'star' that homework. In other words, if a student is already a Gold Reader and one of their qualifying homeworks rolls out of the window, they won't lose the status until their current homework's deadline passes, giving them the chance to star the homework and keep Gold Reader.
Does logging wider reading count towards Gold Reader status?
Does logging wider reading count towards Gold Reader status?
No. Wider reading is a separate feature to Gold Reader and doesn't earn SRP or count towards stars. Gold Reader status is earned purely through consistently going above and beyond your homework target when reading on Sparx Reader.
What's changed if my school used the previous version of Gold Reader?
What's changed if my school used the previous version of Gold Reader?
Gold Reader has evolved, based on what we've learned from impact data and feedback from schools, so it continues to support meaningful reading habits. If you used Gold Reader before September 2026, here's what's changed:
Gold Reader is now earned automatically, as described above - it can no longer be granted manually by teachers, extended, or taken away.
Gold Reader status no longer allows students to complete homework by reading physical books, and physical book logs no longer award SRP. It's now a status that's celebrated in Sparx Reader, in school.
Students who had earned or been granted the previous Gold Reader will no longer have it from 1st September 2026. Any SRP they earned from Gold Reader historically will remain, and those books will continue to be shown in their Reading History.
Gold Reader logs submitted before the end of August 2026 will be reviewed and SRP awarded in the usual way early in September.
Gold Reader is no longer able to be granted by teachers manually. It is an earned status that helps you celebrate students who consistently go above and beyond their homework target. Students become Gold Readers when they read at least 100 SRP above their homework target (shown as a gold star) in four of their last six homeworks.
All students, not just Gold Readers, can now log physical books they read outside Sparx Reader on their new Bookshelf. This is a separate feature and doesn't award SRP: see The Bookshelf and logging wider reading for more information.
You and your students will have access to the new Gold Reader status and wider reading logging once your Sparx Reader site is reset for the new academic year, a task usually completed early in the term by your Sparx Reader Leader.
Additional FAQ's for previous Gold Reader users:
Can I check who was an 'old' Gold Reader at the end of the summer holidays?
Can I check who was an 'old' Gold Reader at the end of the summer holidays?
As Gold Reader has now evolved, you can no longer see who was an ‘old’ Gold Reader at the end of the holidays. If this is causing you significant challenges, please ask to speak to a human and give us more information about what you’re trying to do to see if we can help.
Will students who already had the old Gold Reader status keep it with the new, evolved status?
Will students who already had the old Gold Reader status keep it with the new, evolved status?
Gold Reader has evolved and is now an earned status for students who consistently go above and beyond in their homework. Students who had earned or been granted ‘old’ Gold Reader will no longer have it from the 1st September 2026.
Will existing Gold Reader logs and SRP be affected?
Will existing Gold Reader logs and SRP be affected?
Any SRP students have earned from Gold Reader historically will remain, and these books will continue to be shown in Reading History. From 1st September 2026, they will no longer be able to earn SRP from reading physical books. You can see their Bookshelf on the Wider Reading tab within a Student page.
If a student submitted some Gold Reader logs at the end of August 2026, will they still get the SRP?
If a student submitted some Gold Reader logs at the end of August 2026, will they still get the SRP?
Any 'old' Gold Reader logs that were submitted before the end of August 2026 will be reviewed and SRP awarded in the usual way early on in September.