BRIGHTON College was transformed into Hogwarts when the whole of the prep and senior school celebrated the 20th anniversary since JK Rowling penned her first Harry Potter novel.

The fun kicked off in the college library at 9am where staff and pupils embarked on a non-stop seven-hour readathon of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

Pupils from Year 8 and below vied for best costume – the winner was a very creative Alex Balkwill-Simmons as the golden snitch.

They also feasted at the school’s Honeydukes cake sale while being entertained by some Potter magic.

The dining hall was decked out in copies of the Daily Prophet with pupils enjoying themed lunches, including frothy butter beer and chocolate wands and mice for dessert.

A Harry Potter expert, Brighton College librarian Debbie McCollough’s son Michael, fielded hundreds of questions from pupils in a bid to outwit him – and win a prize – about JK’s masterpieces but no one managed to out-Potter him.

In the run up to the anniversary, the school held a writing competition where pupils were challenged to write a missing chapter from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

There was a special prize category for anyone who submitted their entry in a foreign language.

This proved very popular with submissions in six different languages including Mandarin.

Ms McCollough said: “The books have been a gateway into reading for so many children over the last 20 years that we really wanted to mark the occasion.

“Like nearly all young people, pupils at Brighton College love the Harry Potter series and the celebration has been very popular with all ages.

“The readathon lasted for seven hours with teaching staff, support staff, and pupils taking a turn to read in 15-minute slots throughout the day.

“More than 500 pupils came into the library to enjoy the pleasures of being read to.

“The library staff are keen to create a community of readers within the school and it was great that so many people came along and joined in the fun.”