Harry Charms Students Into Success

Boy-wizard theme helps English school turn scores around
By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 22, 2007 5:42 AM CST
Harry Charms Students Into Success
Harry Potter fans scramble to get a copy of the final volume in the magical saga.   (Getty Images (by Event))

The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry it is not, but a suburban Nottingham school is using Harry Potter’s magic to get results. Primary students chose JK Rowling’s enchanted novels as their curriculum theme, a system school officials launched to raise lagging test scores. Subjects are laced with riffs on the books, and activities plunge students into Harry’s supernatural world.

The theme system, which has also embraced chocolate and the Titanic, worked: The school languished in the lowest quarter of English schools but has surged into the upper echelon, Time says. Officials branded the school “outstanding,” noting its success with students with learning disabilities and behavioral problems. “It’s made school a lot easier and better,” gushed one 10-year-old Hermione-in-training. (More Harry Potter stories.)

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