THE University of Gloucestershire and Gloucestershire Magistrates Association teamed up to host the biggest Gloucestershire Schools Mock Trial Competition to date.

Nearly 350 students from schools across the county stepped into the roles of magistrates, solicitors, witnesses and court staff.

The competition was held over three days in the university’s purpose-built Moot Court, a real-life replica of a courtroom.

Lauren Bajdala-Brown, Organiser and Cheltenham Magistrate, said: “We wanted to create a script this year that not only introduced children to the UK Justice System, but which would also serve as an educational tool to help children understand the impact of their actions and the huge responsibility attached to having a smartphone.

“The response to the script has been fantastic and we were delighted to be welcoming 20 schools from across Cheltenham and Gloucester to compete – our biggest year yet.”

The event was supported by staff and student volunteers from the university, with Law students helping to facilitate the trials and assist participating schools.

The competition, which has been running in Gloucestershire for around 25 years, is part of an annual UK-wide competition run by the Magistrates’ Association which sees pupils compete against each other as Prosecution versus Defence teams, in the hope of being crowned the winning team.

The trials are judged by magistrates as part of their Magistrate in the Community role and take place in spring. The competition provides school pupils with the opportunity to build skills in public speaking, critical thinking, and legal knowledge.

Nathalie Dawson, University of Gloucestershire Careers and Employability Officer, said: “Events like the Gloucestershire Mock Trial Competition are a fantastic way to bring the university together with schools and community partners across the county.

“It was great to see our Law student volunteers supporting the event and gaining valuable experience of courtroom processes, communication and public engagement, while younger pupils were able to visit campus and take part in such an engaging introduction to the justice system.”