Why can't I connect to Sparx in my school?

If students try to log into Sparx and there are network connectivity issues then you may find the following happens:

• The page may not load at all.
• It may hang indefinitely and show a spinner.
• It may show a screen that mentions connection issues.

Steps to Diagnose (please work through these in order)

1. Check internet access generally

Check you can access other websites to ensure that this is not a general Wi-Fi or internet connection issue within school.

2. Use our Compatibility Checker

Most issues can be diagnosed by running the ‘Compatibility Checker’ here: https://check.sparx-learning.com/

• We recommend running the checker on a device used by teachers and a device used by students (if they differ) to check for issues with particular devices.
• We also recommend running the checker as a teacher and as a student to check for issues with the firewall and security policies that are set up for those types of user.
• If the Whitelist check fails:
  • The domains listed on the checker need to be whitelisted in the school firewall.
  • See the advice in Diagnosing a firewall issue below.

3.   Diagnosing an incompatible device or browser

• Try logging in on a different device on the same network.
• Check you are using the most up-to-date version of the browser (older versions may not be supported)
• Try using a different browser:
  • Google Chrome (preferred)
  • Mozilla Firefox (supported)
  • Safari (supported)
  • Microsoft Edge (supported)

4.   Diagnosing a firewall issue

• To establish whether some network configuration is blocking requests, we recommend connecting a device to a different network, e.g. a mobile network or home network.
• If this works, then it suggests that some network configuration is blocking the requests.
• If this doesn’t work, then it may be that the device is incompatible (see above) or some security software (e.g. anti-virus) is blocking the requests.
• Try disabling part or all of your firewall and other security software to determine what is blocking the requests.
• Some firewalls include logging which shows all requests that have been blocked. It might be useful to check those logs for requests to Sparx domains.
• If you can’t resolve any issues with your firewall or software then you should ask for support from your provider. They will be much more familiar with the specifics of your setup than our support team.

5.   Contact us

If you have worked your way through the steps shown here and have still been unable to log in successfully, please contact us at schoolsupport@sparx.co.uk. Any screenshots or a description of what happened when you tried the suggestions above would be gratefully received and will help us find a solution more quickly.