Doncaster schools take part in Miles of Magic celebrating 25 years of Harry Potter

To mark the anniversary, 25 schools from across the National Literacy Trust’s local area campaigns, including Doncaster Stories, are taking part in Miles of Magic: The Harry Potter Book Relay.

Over the next four months, a special copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone will travel from school to school, with pupils adding their own additions to the book before passing it on.

Two of the 25 schools invited to take part are Bentley High Street Primary School and Whindhill Primary School. The book will reach Doncaster at the end of February when pupils will have the chance to contribute to this well-loved story.

Meanwhile, the 25 schools have each been gifted a Harry Potter trunk of goodies to inspire pupils to celebrate the books and support their reading. Each trunk contains a class set of free Harry Potter books, a school resource from Warner Bros (the production company behind the Harry Potter films), a printed copy of the new Miles of Magic Reading Challenge, stickers, merchandise and more.

Andrew Fearn, teacher and reading lead at Bentley High Street Primary, said: “Our school absolutely loves the wonder of stories, so the opportunity to celebrate one of the most magical and characters of all time is not only exciting for the pupils, but also for the staff! We cannot wait to get our children inspired to read following the Magic of Miles' activities and ideas. We love working closely with the National Literacy Trust and everything they have to offer, to support and develop children's love for reading.”

The National Literacy Trust and Bloomsbury Publishing launched their Miles of Magic activity to schools across the UK on Harry Potter Book Night (February 3). 26,000 pupils have so far watched an exclusive event with Jonny Duddle, the illustrator of the Harry Potter 2014 book covers and this year’s silver anniversary edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Schools who were unable to join live can watch the recorded event online.

Jonny Duddle also launched the Miles of Magic Reading Challenge, a free classroom resource to encourage reading for pleasure and develop reading stamina. The challenge takes pupils on an adventure from Privet Drive to Hogwarts hitting magical locations for every 30 minutes they read. It is available for all schools and can be downloaded at National Literacy Trust website.

Phil Sheppard of Doncaster Stories, said: “The Harry Potter books have inspired so many children – and indeed parents – in Doncaster to discover the magic of reading so it’s very exciting to be a part of this national relay! Reading for just 10 minutes a day is vital for supporting literacy skills and I can’t wait to see the buzz that all of this creates.”

Beatrice Cross of Bloomsbury Children’s Books, said: “For 25 years, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone has cast a spell on generations of children, thrilling passionate readers and encouraging reluctant readers to discover the joy of reading. We are thrilled to be working with the National Literacy Trust to continue Harry’s legacy and help the children of today begin their magical reading adventure.”

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