Convent
School girls win their local heat in mock trial competition
A team of girls from Gumley House Convent School came first in a local heat of the 2004 National Mock Trial Competition held last Saturday, 13 March 2004 at Feltham Magistrates' Court.
This is an annual competition run by the Citizenship Foundation in collaboration with the Magistrates' Association and is organised for young people from 12-14 years old who attend state secondary schools.
Teams from Brentford School for Girls, Feltham Community College, Gumley House Convent School and Heathland School, competed against each other taking the roles of all the court players in a mock trial based on a case of fly tipping. All the teams had been working hard practising over the past few weeks with help from magistrates on the Hounslow bench. The standard of performance was very high and the results were very close. The winning team now goes forward to the regional finals in June.
Moira Terry, Hounslow's Bench Chairman said, �This is the first time that Feltham Magistrates' Court has hosted a heat in this competition which has been running for several years now. The magistrates and court staff have been very enthusiastic and we are delighted that the competition has been such a success. We want our local community to be aware of who magistrates are and what work goes on in court, and this provides an excellent chance for us to engage with local people.�
Teacher Mary Stainforth from Heathland school said, �The Mock Trial Competition is an ideal opportunity for pupils to develop their debating skills and it also increases their awareness of the judicial system while giving the participants the experience of working as a team under pressure.�
Students taking part in the competition are given the opportunity to learn about the criminal justice system in their local community. The competition helps to develop debating skills and the ability to sift the relevant facts from a body of information and presents the students with the opportunity to work with local magistrates, solicitors and court staff.
March 19, 2004