Pupils at Haddon Primary School in Carlton swapped their books for broomsticks during a magical day learning the Harry Potter sport of Quidditch.
The Muggles were being taught the sport made famous in the series of books by JK Rowling as part of the school’s promotion of reading.
Haddon Primary School head teacher Nina Capek said the lessons were being used as a way to ignite children’s interest and love of reading.
She said: “The Quidditch lessons were a great way of giving children a first-hand experience we could use to tie into our promotion of reading, and it has certainly created some excitement around school.”
Year 6 pupil Callum Perry took part and said he had read about the game but never played it.
He said: “I have read all of the Harry Potter books and I know that Harry Potter plays Quidditch, so I was looking forward to having a go. I really enjoyed the day and I especially enjoyed it when we played the big game. Although I had to be in Slytherin team!”
Pupil Ashton Chadwick said he ‘got lucky ‘when he was picked as the Golden Snitch for the match
“I have read all of the Harry Potter books and the ‘Philosopher’s Stone’ is my favourite,” he said.
“I knew about Quidditch and all of the rules before we took part in it as I loved reading the books.
“I really enjoyed the matches, but I really loved being the ‘Golden Snitch’ in the game. I will definitely read the books again after this day.”
Taking the lessons was Darren Hill of Sporting Dreams with a children’s version of the game called Kidditch
He said, “I try to leave children with a good understanding of how the game is now played competitively and to do it in a fun and fast paced way. We have music playing and all of the equipment is safe for youngsters to use. They quickly get to grips with a new sport and have a lot of fun doing it.”
Head teacher Nina Capek added: “Haddon Primary School’s mottos are ‘Dream big’, ‘Aim high’ and ‘Make every day as exciting as the first’ and flying on broomsticks and recreating this well-known and much talked about game certainly brought the texts to life for children.
“There was a real magical buzz around the school, from both children and adults, as everyone experienced a new sport and it triggered discussions around favourite characters and scenes in the stories.
“Who knows, maybe one day we will see a Haddon Primary School team winning the Quidditch world cup!”
