Headteacher ruins Harry Potter book for pupils by reading out last page (NO spoilers)

[Honey]

A primary school head ruined the new Harry Potter book for hundreds of young pupils by reading out the final page on the last day of term.


More than 400 children were in assembly when Carolyn Banfield gave away the ending to Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows at St John's Church of England school in Midsomer Norton, Somerset.
Some of the young pupils were so desperate not to hear what happened to their favourite characters that they quickly put their hands over their ears in an effort to avoid hearing the climax to the final book in the series.
Many of the children at St John's had not yet bought the book, which was released 10 days ago.
One 11-year-old said: "I put my hands over my ears and squeezed my eyes closed because I didn't want to know about it."
The school defended itself, claiming that the extract chosen would not have given away the book's plot.
A spokesman for St John's said: "The school held an assembly on the last day of term to say goodbye to the children and staff who were leaving.
"At this assembly a very small passage from the new Harry Potter book was read aloud.
"The passage was carefully chosen to reflect the theme of saying goodbye.
"The school felt that this reading would not spoil the children's enjoyment of the book and its plot.
"Many of the children and staff at the school are fans of the Harry Potter series, and we used the text as a way of illustrating how uncertainty can sometimes accompany new beginnings." scroll down for more


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But the reading was condemned by the National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations.
Spokesman Margaret Morrissey said: "It beggars belief as to how someone could even consider doing something like this. It spoilt the book for a number of children.
"The good thing about Harry Potter is that it has encouraged a lot of children to pick up books and read.
"Whatever the motive there wasn't sufficient thinking behind this.
"It is something that the children at the school would have spent the majority of the holiday reading rather that saying they were bored.
"It is very hard to understand why anyone would do that, most of all a teacher in a primary school." Thousands of people around the world queued for hours to get their hands on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the latest and last book in the multi-million selling series.

Headteacher ruins Harry Potter book for pupils by reading out last page | the Daily Mail

What a mean old hag!

[darksithbunny]

I guess reading on your own is something they don't get to learn at that school.

I would like to slap her in the mouth.

[DoveFeatheredRaven]

Is that the English cover art? If so, it sucks.

[Anne2007]

Yes it was a silly thing to do. But they have learnt at an ealry age the world is full of retards thjat will tell you the end of your book, a movie you are on you way to see and the football scores to a game you have taped.

[o0Amber0o]

That dumb bitch!
I know first hand what it was like to have that book spoiled for me (it was the only thing that I didn't read spoilers for or anything and I went into work the Monday after it was released to have it spoiled in the first five minutes I was there), and it's not ok! HAVE SOME RESPECT!

[Sweetie]

Thank God Harry Potter has come to an end.

[litupgirl]

Reminds me of that Bitch 2nd grade teacher who told us all there was no Santa Claus.

[western]

What a bunch of idiots, the last page pretty much sums up the entire book - it DOES give stuff away and there's not really anything there that would suggest a 'goodbye'. If that was their goal, grab one of the older books that actually has a goodbye scene where Harry's going home for the summer. Yeesh.

[Lil]

Originally Posted by DoveFeatheredRaven

Is that the English cover art? If so, it sucks.

There were two covers over here. That one, and a more kind of grown up looking one.