Students experience life in the courtroom at Mock Trial Competition

Eleven students from across Years 10-13 at the Stamford Endowed Schools recently entered the Independent Schools Mock Trial Competition, a careers event held at Birmingham Crown Court which gives students an insight into life inside the courtroom.Students had the opportunity to compete in three different mock court cases, written by partners in the legal profession, and had to perform formal roles in front of the judges. Defence and Prosecution Barrister roles were taken on by Charlotte O’r and Charlie M respectively, with Amelia D, Millie C, Zara H, Olivia C, and Esme H being Witnesses. Eloise Q-P, Ahren B and Isobel  acted as Jurors, with Louise Jperforming both the Court Clerk and Court Usher role.Stamford’s students competed well against three other schools; Oxford International College, King Edward VI High School for Girls and Boys and Merchant Taylors School for Girls, with the tasks involved supporting them to develop their teamwork, public speaking and verbal reasoning skills.Mrs Sarah MacAulay, Head of Business Studies and Careers at The Stamford Endowed Schools, said: “Although they were not placed in the competition, we were so proud of the pupils; they were fantastic, and the Resident Judge was rendered speechless when he heard that Charlie McLaren is only 14!“All of the schools we competed against each had two barristers for both defence and prosecution, where we only had one of each, which only adds to the students’ accomplishments.”Charlie M, Year 10, who acted as Prosecution Barrister in the Mock Trial Competition, said: “I had a really fun time at the mock trial, and even though it has been challenging at times, I think the end result was definitely worth it! It has been a really good experience, and I hope we get the chance to do it again in the future!”