On Saturday 11th March Mr Anderson and Ms Curry took a group of Year 8 students to the Crown Court complex in Newcastle. No, the children hadn’t done anything wrong! They were taking part in this year’s mock trials competition, a national event where school children all over the country take on the roles of Lawyers, Witnesses and Court Staff to learn about our legal system.
The 15 Year 8s acted out a full Magistrates Court trial, practicing examinations in chief and cross examinations before a real Judge. We were given the fictional case of R v Rowe at the end of last year and the children prepared their roles carefully at school over the last few months; the Lawyers thinking which questions to ask and the witnesses preparing their answers.
On the day, our Defence Team did an excellent job securing a not guilty verdict against Gosforth East, and our Prosecution Team were equally admirable going up against Longbenton High School. The organisers were very complimentary about the standard of the competition, and I was very impressed with how our teams got into character, they even dressed the part. Well-done everyone!