Harry Potter transforms British schools

As a fan of the Harry Potter books I was delighted to read the following:

HARRY Potter has magically transformed a struggling British school into a thriving institution, with students exceeding expectations.

Students at Robert Mellors Primary and Nursery School in Arnold, Nottingham, are casting mathematical “spells” to solve subtraction “riddles” and English lessons can involve writing scripts based on the popular character.

According to figures from the British Government, the school has gone from being in the lowest 25 per cent of institutions to being just outside the top 5 per cent in just three years.

The Daily Mail reported the sudden jump in the results of the school’s students, between seven and 11, came about because children began dictating the teaching methods that would be used each term.

The newspaper said year groups were now defined as Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin, like the different houses at Hogwarts described in JK Rowlings’ popular Harry Potter series.

According to an inspection report published by the Government’s Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills, students excelled in their mathematics lessons because of the unique teaching method.

“(Students) commented that mathematics is fun because they are always challenged and their teachers link it to the work they are doing in other subjects,” the report said.

“Lessons observed were taught through the topic being covered in literacy… for example, subtraction was seen as a spell by ‘Harry Potter’.”

The Daily Mail said that before a student told the class how a mathematical problem was solved, they first had to say “numeras subtracticus” – a “spell” the children created.

Students also got on and off “imaginary broomsticks” in physical education, and science classes are filled with “magical” experiments.