The Worst Witch. The book series by Jill Murphy was first published in 1974 and continues through to 2013 at least.
Harry Potter. The book series by JK Rowling was first published by 1997 and continued through to 2007, with more stories rumored on their way.
The Worst Witch. The first film adaptation came out in 1986 starring Fairuza Balk and Tim Curry. A television series then ran from 1998 to 2001.
Harry Potter. The first film adaptation came out in 2001 starring everyone you could ever want and more, and the series culminated in 2011. A prequel film then was released in 2016.
I love Harry Potter, but I'm old enough to have watched the Worst Witch and remembered it. The overlap and obvious repetitions between the two stories kept me from enjoying HP until much later, but today I have a healthy love for both stories, as they really do tell two different stories despite all the similarities.
British boarding schools, especially to American viewers who are by and large unfamiliar with boarding schools as a concept, may mistake normal behaviors for particularities unique to one universe or the other.
Now that we have THAT out of the way, this is a fun version of the misadventures of Mildred, the Worst Witch. Magic takes a backseat to telling a rather mundane, but poignant story about friendship, fitting in, and hard decisions.
It is perhaps a simpler story than Rowling's work, leaving out so much of the backdrop of the past that conveyed the breathing magical world of Harry Potter. The Worst Witch instead skips over the hidden world and takes on perhaps a more mythical sense. The cheaper effects are highly charming, and the children give solid performances.
This is a great series for kids perhaps not quite old enough for the darker Harry Potter world, but ready to embrace a magical school.
