Involving pupils in team activities like the national Mock Court Trial competition can enhance your citizenship teaching and their understanding of the subject.
In this programme, citizenship coordinator Sue Cornwell from Wetherby High School leads a team of pupils through the regional final stage of the national Mock Court Trial competition. We see the team's preparations and performance on the day of the competition at Leeds Magistrates' Court.
The pupils take on the different roles of those involved in the court room and are encouraged through the process to develop an understanding of how the legal system works, and how to recognise opposing arguments from both sides.
The programme looks at:
- Wetherby's early preparations guided by their teachers
- A visit from local magistrate Anthony Mulvaney to provide advice
- The action from the big day itself when the team go to court
This lesson should prove of interest to teachers keen to find out more about the effectiveness of such external experiences and how to recreate some of the benefits in the classroom.
