This article explains how to reset passwords for both students and staff members in Sparx Maths. Password resets can be triggered either by the users themselves or by another staff member.

Student password resets

To reduce password reset requests, consider enabling Single Sign-On (SSO) which allows students to log in using their school Microsoft or Google accounts. See Setting up single Sign-On (login with Google/Microsoft) for more information.

Student password resets have to be be approved by a teacher. This is to prevent students from 'hijacking' one anothers accounts when they know each others' dates of birth.

How students request a password reset

Students can trigger a password reset by clicking 'Forgotten login details?' on the login page
Then clicking on 'Student'
Then entering their first name, last name and date of birth
Then clicking on 'Submit'
The student will see a message advising that they'll need to wait for a teacher to approve their password reset request, and the class teacher(s) will receive an email notification about the reset request.

Approving student password reset requests

When a student requests a password reset, any teacher(s) associated with the student's class will receive an email notification
A banner will also show in Student Manager advising that there are students with a pending password reset request, and those students' 'Login status' will show as 'Forgotten password'
To approve all pending password reset requests, click on 'Reset now' in the banner.

To approve an individual student's password reset request, click on the student's name to view their student profile → Click on 'Allow password reset' at the top of the student's profile

Manually resetting students' passwords (without them needing to request a reset)

In exceptional circumstances, you may wish to allow students to reset their password without requesting a reset first. For example, at the start of a new school year, of lots of students in your class say they've forgotten their password, you could manually allow resets for the group.

For a single student

Go to Student Manager
Select the student
Click 'Reset password' in the 'Sparx login details' section

For multiple students

Go to Student Manager
Check the box next to the students needing resets
Click 'Allow password reset'

How students set a new password after a reset request is approved

Once a teacher has approved a password reset, the student can choose a new password by clicking 'Forgotten login details?' on the login page
Then clicking on 'Student'
Then entering their first name, last name and date of birth
Then clicking on 'Submit'
Then setting and confirming their new password
They can then log in with their new password

Staff password resets

Staff members can reset their own passwords

Go to the teacher login page
Click 'Forgot login details?'
Click 'Teacher'
Entering your email address
Click 'Continue'
You'll receive a password reset email. Click on the link in the email to choose a new password.

Frequently asked questions

Can I print a list of usernames and password for students and hand them out manually?

No. For security reasons, students' passwords are encrypted. This encryption prevents us from displaying passwords for printing.

A student says that their password reset needs to be approved. Why am I not being given the option to approve the reset?

Either another teacher has actioned the reset, or the student has remembered their password and logged in successfully.

You can check this viewing the student's 'Login status' in Student Manager.

Why can't my student log in after resetting their password?

If students are still having problems logging in after following the reset process, check that they are:

Using the correct school when logging in
Entering their date of birth correctly
Ensure they are not entering an extra space after their name
Using their Sparx username (not their school username)

I'm a staff member. Why am I not receiving a password reset email that I've requested?

It's possible that the email address linked to your account in Sparx Maths is incorrect. As a colleague to check that your email address is correct in Sparx Maths, and correct it if not.

Resetting staff and student passwords