For all the Harry Potter fans out there, I bet a few of you have wondered if the English private school system is anything like Hogwarts. Apart from the magic and Quidditch, there are a lot of similarities. I used to attend an all-girls private school in England and I cannot count the number of times I have been asked if I actually wore a uniform or was placed into a house that competed for the Goblet of Fire. I am here today to clear up how unbelievably true some things in Hogwarts are in comparison to private schools in England.
1. Team houses are REAL.
My secondary school had four main houses. Like in Harry Potter, we had Penn, Mandeville, Hamden, and Milton (which is what I was in). My color was yellow and we participated in many events every year. Although Quidditch matches were not a part of our agenda, we had sports days and music competitions. And no, we were not chosen through a talking, magical hat (sad to say).
2. The lunches were pretty good.
Just like Hogwarts, we had Christmas dinners and many options to choose from. No, the food did not magically appear at the click of our headmistress's fingers and the ceiling was not see-through. We were not allowed packed lunches but we had the option of hot food, sandwiches, soups, a salad bar, and many desserts. The food should’ve been this nice for the price per term (or trimester, as we in America say) my parents paid for lunches!
3. We were forced to wear uniforms.
Ah, I remember wearing my itchy, wool skirt and a white blouse like it was yesterday. No, we did not wear capes like in the movie, but we did have school scarves and the younger pupils wore black berets in the winter. It was the most uncomfortable outfit I have ever worn. We had mufti days when we could wear our own clothes on but our hair had to be up, skirts no higher than just above the knee, only a little makeup, and no nail polish (so not as good as it sounds).
4. There were parts of the school we couldn’t go to.
Like the Forbidden Forest in Harry Potter, we had wooded areas that were off limits. Students were not allowed to go past a certain grassy area (even though many of us still did). No, we did not have giant spiders or trolls living there, but everyone was almost certain there were people inhabiting the forest!
5. I was accepted into my school with a letter.
I can imagine you're picturing an owl bringing me my letter, am I right? Well, I am sorry to say the envelope was just put through the letterbox like any normal piece of mail. Most of the girls who attended my school had to take academic tests in order to have the pleasure of attending. Just like Hogwarts, we waited for the day we were able to relax because we had just gotten into a school we were proud to be a part of.
