Wizarding education matters

[bluesqueak]

No: HPFGUIDX 46464

Pickle Jimmy writes:
> And here's my question - Where do magical kids learn the 3 
> R's (Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic)?

Another question that has been debated many, many times. But since 
there are very few `official' answers, it's great fun to debate.

http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/author/transcript2.htm

is both the 1000 students reference AND the reference to wizarding 
children not having to attend muggle primary schools. 

The general assumption is that wizarding children are either home 
schooled in the basics (no wonder Molly Weasley is a stay-at-home 
mum!) or are taught in small groups by wizarding teachers.

There is evidence that some of the wizarding children knew each 
other before Hogwarts: Draco, Crabb and Goyle obviously do, and in 
PS/SS Ch.9, Pansy Parkinson tells Parvati Patil "Never thought 
*you'd* like fat little cry babies, Parvati." [p. 110 UK paperback], 
which suggests they also knew each other pre-Hogwarts.

There's also evidence that wizarding children have either had, or 
know of, school-style punishments. Draco is surprised that detention 
doesn't involve `writing lines or something' [PS/SS, Ch. 15, p. 182 
UK paperback].

Pickle Jimmy writes:
> At 11 these kids focus on classes that deal only with magic, do   
> they learn all the mathematics, history, geography, sciences,     
> languages, etc that they will ever learn by this time?

They obviously don't learn languages, as there are several jokes in 
GoF about the British Wizards general inability to speak any other 
language than their own (except for Crouch Sr. and Dumbledore). 

History of Magic they learn with the ghostly Professor Binns. 
Geography may be subsumed in other lessons – for example, it might 
be part of history, learning places and cultures as the British WW 
comes across them. Sciences they learn – Potions is obviously 
related to chemistry, Herbology to botany, Care of Magical Creatures 
is practical animal husbandry, and DADA seems to cover other areas 
of zoology. 

Muggle physics probably has no relation whatsoever to the Wizarding 
understanding of the world, but the `Muggle Studies' textbook in PoA 
appears to include some physics: `Explain why Muggles need 
Electricity' is, I think, one of Hermione's essay titles.

Mathematics is probably not regarded as a separate subject in the WW–
 much of muggle maths is quite closely related to muggle physics, 
and Wizards don't seem to use statistics much. Weights, measurements 
and timings would be covered in Potions. Calculation of angles, 
orbits, observation measurements, calendars, would be part of 
Astronomy. Generally, maths needed for a subject is almost certainly 
covered in that subject, *not* in separate, unmentioned classes. 

It's unknown where Squibs get their education. I've suggested on 
other occasions that the terror of Neville's family that he might 
not get into Hogwarts might be caused by the fact that there is NO 
provision other than Hogwarts, and JKR means it quite literally when 
she says there is no other wizarding school in the UK.

The second cousin of Mrs Weasley's who became an accountant [PS/SS 
Ch. 6, p. 75 UK paperback] would suggest that some might go to 
muggle schools, if it were not for the huge number of `safety net' 
provisions in the UK for people who leave school with no 
qualifications. It would be entirely possible for a squib to get a 
muggle education *after* they reached 18.

It's certainly possible to qualify as an accountant with no muggle 
secondary school qualifications/record of graduation – one of our 
Prime Ministers did it.

Stan Shunpike comes vaguely into education, as Harry thinks he's 
about 19, but never saw him at Hogwarts [PoA Ch. 3]. Many listies 
seem to think this means he never went to Hogwarts. I think the 
confusion is caused by the fact that in many education systems, if 
you leave school at 16, you have no qualifications. 

This is not the case in the UK, or in the WW. Many people in the UK 
leave school at 16 [usually to go on to vocational training], and 
it's quite likely that the whole reasoning behind OWLs is that this 
pattern is repeated in Wizarding Britain. If you're not academic by 
nature, you leave school at 16 with (hopefully) some OWL's to your 
name, and then look for a job or an appropriate vocational course – 
which will often specify that the 16 year old school leaver must 
have reached, say, Grade C in Charms OWL, (and the job will often 
give time off for vocational study).

If Stan left Hogwarts at 16, it's very likely that Harry doesn't 
know him because their years at Hogwarts simply didn't coincide.

Pip!Squeak