SBS Learn vs SparkleBox
SBS Learn
sbs.com.auSparkleBox
sparklebox.co.ukSide by side
| Figure | SBS Learn | SparkleBox |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Teacher Resource Libraries | 8.2 (#8) | 7.4 (#26) |
| Audience | Its resources are designed for teachers and educators supporting students from Foundation through Year 12. | The site provides a Resources for Parents section with printables intended for home use. |
| Founded | 2015 | 2006 |
| Headquarters | Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia | 35 Badsey Road, Willersey, WR12 7PR, UK |
| Purpose | SBS Learn is SBS’s schools-based education arm, creating curriculum-aligned materials for teachers. | SparkleBox shares downloadable teaching resources with teachers around the world. |
| Resource formats | Resources include ready-to-download lesson plans, activities and classroom materials, with classroom-friendly clips. | A home visual timetable download includes over 30 JPG images and a PDF with images arranged six to a page on A4. |
| Support | Teachers can contact SBS Learn with questions, resource requests, suggestions or stories using its contact form. | Visitors can contact SparkleBox by email, but the team says it cannot guarantee a response to every email because of message volume. |
Plans
In their own words
SBS Learn
SBS Learn provides free, Australian Curriculum-aligned teaching resources for educators, covering Foundation through Year 12. Its downloadable lesson plans, activities and classroom materials are made for primary and secondary students, with a focus on multicultural and First Nations educational content. Resources cover all learning areas and connect to Cross Curriculum Priorities, General Capabilities and Curriculum Connections. Teachers can browse by subject and year, including English, mathematics, science, humanities and social sciences, and the arts.
Teachers can download, save and share resources with colleagues and students. Curated short SBS and NITV clips come with guided questions, activities and curriculum links to support classroom discussion and critical thinking. The Alone Australia resource includes collaborative activities, discussion questions, research tasks, differentiated scaffolds and outdoor learning activities. Some materials may become unavailable when the related SBS or NITV content is out of licence. For full-episode classroom viewing, SBS Learn points teachers to ClickView or their school’s resource centre. Teachers can also subscribe for resource updates by email or contact SBS Learn through its form. It is SBS’s schools-based education arm and has developed teacher resources since 2015.
SparkleBox
SparkleBox is a library of downloadable teaching resources for teachers, with a separate section of printables for parents. It covers EYFS, KS1 and KS2, with subjects including literacy, maths, science, ICT, geography, history, design and technology, religious education, art, music, PE, PSHE, modern foreign languages, dance, drama, HSIE and PDHPE. The site says its collection has grown from a small initial set to many thousands of resources, and editable files are available. Formats vary by resource: a home visual timetable, for example, includes more than 30 JPG images and a PDF arranging images six to a page on A4. SparkleBox launched in February 2006 to share downloadable materials with teachers. Nearly every resource is free to download; paid options start from £1.49. Free resources may be copied and shared with attribution for non-commercial use, provided digital products are not altered. The site accepts email enquiries, though its team says it cannot guarantee a response to every message.