A group of Swindon students have appeared in court in Swindon to face a mock trial - and won the regional heats in a nationwide legal competition organised by Young Citizens for the second year in a row.
Mock Trials are an active learning experience run by Young Citizens since 1991, giving secondary school students the opportunity to work together, on specially written cases, providing them the opportunity to experience the law and judicial system with invaluable exposure to court rooms and legal professionals.
The trials are not just for students who are interested in the law. Their main focus is to encourage students to build their confidence, understanding and collaboration.
Local heats are run all over the country, and students get to have their ‘day in court’ defending and prosecuting the case against their peers. Abbey Park spent the day at Swindon Magistrates Court, supported by a local magistrate.
The team was competing against three other local schools. There are a number of different categories in which the students can win, including best defence lawyer, best prosecution lawyer and best magistrate, as well as being the overall winners.
The Abbey Park team walked away with a number of awards:
- Overall Competition Winners
- Overall Best Defence Team - Lilly, Harry, Holly, Nicola, Lena
- Best Prosecution Lawyer - Shared for the first year ever (as the judges could not pick a winner) - Mia and Emmy
- Best Defence Lawyer – Lily
Mia, who was Joint winner of Best Prosecution Lawyer said: “I've really enjoyed participating in the mock trials. It has been an incredible experience that allowed me to see and understand what goes on inside of a courtroom.
"The opportunity to become a lawyer, prepare arguments, and think on my feet during cross-examinations has boosted my confidence in public speaking. Overall, it's been a fun and educational experience that I truly appreciate."
One of the Abbey Park students, Oakley, who appeared in court as a witness in the mock trial said: "My experience of mock trials so far has been a fun and exciting opportunity for students in schools to come together and collaborate on learning a court case, then analysing and applying skills and testimonies to create an effective and believable story in court.
"It has been super fun working with my team on ways we could challenge the defence team or coming up with questions to help develop our points better, and although the case details can be a challenge to remember and the tons of information needed to get maximum marks on the actual day was a lot, it is such a fun experience and I’m so thankful that I got selected to participate in this amazing opportunity.
"As well as this, it has also taught me more about a vast collection of jobs to do with Law. e.g. Lawyer, Magistrate, Probation officers, usher etc which is all so fun, as you get to learn how the justice system works and how much it truly does benefit society.”
Lily, who only stepped into the role of defence lawyer a couple of sessions before the competition, said: “I’ve really enjoyed being in mock trials, even if it’s only been for a short time. I find all of it really fun, and I think it’s definitely boosted my self-confidence.
"I love getting to experience what it’s like to be a lawyer, and I’m very grateful to have had this opportunity."
Joshua, who was a witness in the mock trial, said: “It was fun and a good way to compete with other schools and make new friends. You have to put a lot of work into it, but it is so much fun, I would definitely recommend it."
The team of Year 9 students Mia, Harry, Joshua, Thomas, Emmy, Holly, Toby, Tyler, Nicola, Lily, Oakley, Lena and William, were once again led by English and Media teacher, Kayla Verlander-Simmonds.
The next stage will be the National heats. Last year, this was held at Croydon Magistrates Court and consisted of 8-10 teams from around the country from both state and independent schools. The date and place have yet to be confirmed for this year.
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