300 primary school pupils around Greater Manchester will be going before a judge and take part in mock trials.
In a series of half-day events at Manchester Civil Justice Centre, children aged 8 to 17 will play roles including defendant, witness, prosecutor, judge and jury in the mock trials.
The trials will be based on real cases of knife crime, cyberbullying and hate crime, as well as cases that involved Suffragettes and Victorian children.
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The NJM (National Justice Museum) has partnered up with judges to teach students about the law and how courtrooms work.
The mock trials are being run by the National Justice Museum at its headquarters in Nottingham, the Royal Courts of Justice in London, and other locations in the northwest.
District Tribunal Judge, Mark Angus from the Midlands arranged for them to take place in a real courtroom in Manchester giving students here the opportunity to take part in the program.
It is also expected that similar gatherings are being planned in other towns and cities, such as Liverpool and Cardiff, by him and Senior Circuit Judge Philip Glen.
Mark Angus spoke on how background shouldn't stop someone going into a law career path:
“I started my legal career aged 18 working as an administrative assistant at the Crown Prosecution Service. The judiciary always felt totally inaccessible to me as someone who didn’t grow up around barristers and solicitors.
The students invited here will hopefully gain a better understanding of the role of the judiciary, learn about the justice system and be encouraged to see that anyone can pursue a career in law whatever their background.”
Mark Angus is also the Diversity Lead Judge for the Midlands CIC (Criminal Injuries Compensation) Tribunal.
Gill Brailey, Director of Learning at the National Justice Museum, commented on the importance of mock trials:
“You can’t match the impact of a young person being in a real court building, having to go through security, knowing there are real legal professionals working there.
With judges dressing up in real wigs and gowns and using a real courtroom. These sessions teach young people about citizenship and the importance of the rule of law. The judges are really inspirational.”
The mock trials will be taking place from the 6th - 10th February. The schools taking part are as the list follows:
North Chadderton School, Oldham.
Hollingworth Academy, Rochdale
St Thomas of Canterbury RC Primary School, Salford.
Reddish Vale High School, Stockport.
St Edmund’s RC Primary School, Salford
Gatley Primary School, Salford.
Eden Boys’ School, Cheadle.
St Patrick’s Primary School, Bolton.
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