Magistrates Morning

Today we had a visit from some magistrates. We learned about their jobs and responsibilities (many of us had not realised they do not receive payment) and it was fascinating to hear all about the court system. We then staged a mock trial based on a cyber-bullying crime. The children took the parts of defendant, witnesses, prosecution, defence, legal advisor and usher as well as magistrates. All the children who had roles performed them superbly. Afterwards, we all had the opportunity to discuss what we thought the outcome should be. A year 5 boy said, ‘I really enjoyed debating whether the accused person was guilty or innocent. I thought she was guilty.’