Boy wizard Potter casts spell over new generation of fans at Marden Lodge

​​Youngsters at Marden Lodge school in Caterham were let in on one of the greatest secrets of childhood recently, as the school hosted a Harry Potter night, introducing them to the world’s most famous boy wizard.

With a new Potter stage play coming to the West End in the summer, and a book to accompany it, interest in JK Rowling’s series of classic books remains as high as ever, and the school and its pupils took great pleasure in initiating younger pupils, into the world of all things Hogwarts-related.

“The evening was huge fun,” said teacher Rachael Nicholls, who organised what was billed as a Spells Evening. “We had activities such as the science of spells, taking in things like how to write in invisible ink, wizard duelling, props for them to play with and one of our Year Six girls spent the whole evening in the specially erected ‘reading cave’, reading aloud to the other children.’

The new fans are sure to encounter Harry and his friends on a regular basis as they progress through the years at Marden Lodge, which is part of the GLF group of schools, a rapidly-expanding Surrey-based multi-school trust which now runs over a dozen schools across Surrey, Middlesex, Berkshire and Oxfordshire, based on a system of collaborative education.

“Some of the children, particularly those with older siblings have probably come across the world of Harry Potter before, but for those who haven’t, it was a really enjoyable way to introduce them to it,” said Ms Nicholls. “JK Rowling’s books have enchanted children for years to come, and turned them on to the world of literacy and reading in the way that few books and few writers have ever managed. So if Harry’s magic can cause a similar reaction amongst the children who will be at our school over the next few years, we’d be delighted.”