Harry Potter Biology Day

A day for budding young biologists (and Harry Potter fans!) to take part in a day of fun, themed Biology activities.

Aims

The aim was to provide meaningful Biology investigations, the opportunity to use Physics in a fun and meaningful way.  
 
The day was designed to develop problem-solving, team work and listening skills, as well as introducing a competitive element to the experience.  
 
The need was to show primary school students how Science can be used in exciting and relatable scenarios. 
 
For the event to be a success, we needed pupils to attend from a range of schools across the Nottingham area.  
 
Pupils and staff from 8 schools benefitted from the competition.  

Background

Nottingham High School hosts an annual programme of STEM outreach events, run by our Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Maths departments. Part of the schools’ ethos is to share its facilities and STEM opportunities with other schools in the local community. The school’s Physics Challenge Day has been running annually since 2018 (aside from 2 years exempted by COVID-19).  

Resources

For this project to succeed, we needed free access to the school’s Biology and Design & Technology classrooms, as well as 4 members of teaching staff from the Science department to support the children on the day.  
 
1 Design & Technology teacher and 2 technicians managed the wand-making activity with the children.  
 
Resources for the day’s activities were provided by the school, including owl pellets for dissection, materials for wand-making and supplies for the ‘dragon’s blood’ investigation.   
 
The schools’ Head of Admissions and Partnership oversaw the invitation and booking process for the event.  
 
The catering staff provided refreshments and lunch free of charge for visiting children and school staff.  
 
The event itself ran for 4.5 hours, with approximately 3 days of preparation time.

Impact

"Our children really enjoyed all the activities. They were wowed by the owl pellets and talked about them all the way home! As the teacher, I was really impressed with their teamwork in the labs." (English Martyrs' Catholic Voluntary Academy) 
  
"The children were busy throughout the day and so excited. The pace of the day kept them engaged. One of the children said ""it was the best day ever!" (Teacher, Warren Academy) 
 
After each event, visiting teachers complete a survey to summarise what their pupils learned and enjoyed about the competition, along with any suggestions for improvement.

Pupil Involvement

24 girls and boys aged 9-10 from 8 local state primary schools, and 8 members of staff.

Frequency

The Harry Potter Biology Day runs annually.