News

Recently, we marked the 25th anniversary of World Book Day – the week was filled with many celebrations of reading for pleasure. World Book day was created by UNESCO in 1995 to celebrate books and authors and to encourage young people to discover the joy of reading!

On World Book Day, students in Y7 enjoyed a magical and memorable day at The Harry Potter studios; the boys explored the wonders of the Wizarding World and learnt all about the artistry and crafts of children’s Literature and film making!

Throughout the week, students also: baked cakes inspired by their favourite characters, wrote and produced their own books, shared recommended reads and got their hands on some new Literature at our book sale. James Lomax in Y12 also created a Literary Wordsearch, which many pupils puzzled over and enjoyed. See what you can find here. 

 

Here is a review of our trip to Hogwarts by Simeon Parting in 7W:

On Thursday, year 7 went on a trip to Harry Potter studios! I got up at 7:25am, excited for the trip ahead. When we arrived, everyone instantly spotted some gargantuan statues of the chess pieces from the first movie. Once we had made it inside, we gasped at the gigantic model of a dragon hanging above our heads. We then went into the tour room and were given a talk about what we would be walking through. After a short introductory video, the screen moved up and we went through the doors into the marvellous great hall.

After the great hall, we strode into a huge exhibition about the books and films. Some highlights of this room were the boys’ dormitory, the Gryffindor common room and Dumbledore’s office. In addition to that, there was also Snape’s potion room and Hagrid’s hut. In this room, there was also a green screen showcasing how the vehicles are used. In the middle of the next room, a display showed how the invitation letters were put through the letter box in the original film using clever trickery. The other curiosities in the room were all connected with with The Ministry of Magic, and there was an awesome statue on top of a stand.

After Lunch, we walked through the Forbidden Forest. Inside there was an animatronic of Buckbeak the Hippogriff, and a centaur. There was then a terrifying section of the forest, where gigantic spiders come down from the ceiling and an even larger one pops out of a cave. Next, we went through a section that showed how every model is made; we saw creatures like spiders, goblins and merpeople. There was then a huge entrance hall to Gringott’s bank, with dazzling chandeliers and a destroyed version of it in the next room. To finish off the tour, we marvelled at a massive 1:24 scale model of Hogwarts, which was amazing. Overall, the best bit was the incredible Gringott’s section that we walked through, and I would highly recommend going to Harry Potter studios if you can!

 

Here is an eerie and atmospheric story from Adam Malick in 7W which we hope you will enjoy reading:

A shrill cry echoed in the distance. Paying no attention to it, I continued floating through the thick mist. I looked up to see the clouds wrap around the sky like a veil of darkness. Bang! Suddenly, there was a bright flash. As the rain passed through me, I glanced around to find a dark silhouette, surrounded by an odd luminescence in the fog. Moving closer, I saw a thin barren tree grasping a sinister, rustic house. Swiftly, I glided towards the twisted fence that was covered in cobwebs, and unlocked the gate. “Finally, back home”. Entering the house, I heard the whistle of the wind and then the door slamming shut. An eerie silence swept throughout the building. Miserably, I strolled along to do the same monotonous routine I do everyday… but as I drifted through the interminable corridor, I heard a creak…

I came to an abrupt halt hearing the door open behind me. Quickly, I hid behind a doorway. Peering out, I saw a conceited girl with a smug look on her face, who had been looking for the haunted house that so many people had talked about. But before she could call to her friends, her jaw dropped in horror as if she had seen a ghost. “Well perhaps she has?” I thought. Realising this was no time for jokes, I rushed to the exit blocking her way out. If anyone were to reveal my location, I would be used as a test subject, locked away like a hamster alone in its cage and I’d be experimented on. 

All of a sudden, I had a cunning idea. Luring the girl into the pitch black basement, I got her face covered in a monumental cobweb. Tentatively, she paced around in random directions, hands outstretched in front of her as one does when they can’t see. Stepping onto the defective floorboards, the wooden planks snapped below her - causing her to plummet into a dismal ditch. Collapsing on the floor, the girl let out an ear-piercing scream and it was then that I realised it was her that I had heard earlier. Unfortunately, I could not isolate the girl from the rest of the world forever so I took a deep breath and explained to her the reason for my secrecy. Luckily, the girl was quite sympathetic and agreed not to expose me. In the end, everything worked out and I am now back to my boring and monotonous life but I shall never forget that mysterious encounter.