Our Year 9 pupils recently swapped the classroom for Hogwarts, travelling to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Watford for a magical day exploring the making of the Harry Potter films.
The visit began in style, with pupils seated for a short introductory film welcoming them to the tour, featuring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint reflecting on their time filming the series. Seeing the trio speak about their own experiences on the very sets pupils were about to walk through set the tone for the day and gave the visit an extra sense of occasion before anyone had even stepped through the famous doors of the Great Hall.
From there, pupils were free to explore at their own pace, moving through iconic sets including the Great Hall, Dumbledore’s office and Diagon Alley, while getting a close-up look at the props, costumes and set-building techniques used across the film series.
One of the clear highlights of the day was the outdoor section of the tour, where pupils walked through a recreation of the Forbidden Forest. The atmospheric lighting and detailed scenery proved a particular favourite, with many pupils commenting that it was one of the most immersive parts of the whole experience.
No trip to the Studio Tour would be complete without sampling the famous Butterbeer, and pupils were quick to seek it out. Opinions were mixed, some pupils loved the distinctive butterscotch flavour, while others felt it was a little too sweet for their taste. Either way, it made for a talking point on the coach home, with pupils comparing notes on whether it lived up to the hype.
Beyond the fun and the photo opportunities, the trip gave pupils a genuine appreciation of the scale of work that goes into a major film production, from the craftsmanship of the physical sets to the detail put into costumes and props. It was a fantastic day out that combined a love of storytelling with a real insight into the film industry.
One pupil said: ‘I had a great day , I really enjoyed walking through the Forbidden Forest and seeing the sets from various different films, though I am not too sure about the Butterbeer.’