Congratulations to the Abernyte Pursuers and the Defenders, both of which teams won their respective (mock) court cases!
Lewis reports on some of what was involved:
“A few months ago we were told we were going to be taking part in a court case! Our teacher said that we would be up against lots of other schools around Perth and Kinross and if we won the first round we would get to go to the finals were the Duke of Edinburgh is the judge! A solicitor came to our school and explained a bit more about the Court case. He said it was called Mock court case. We were then put into teams – 1 pursuer team and 1 defender team. The total points can add up to 100. There are points for lots of topics like Journalism, Court artistry, research etc. The basic story line is Mrs Telfer a 64 year old sends her grandson to buy her a new mobile phone from a Talk and Txt store. Ben Telfer purchases the Rokia 999 a very expensive smart phone. But Mrs Telfer could not use the phone and when the bill came it was a huge amount of £80.15. Mrs Telfer sent a letter to Talk and Txt asking why the bill was so large and if she could move onto her old phone. Talk and Txt then sent a letter taking her to court! So we had to try and make one side win. When we went to court it was very scary. The judge looked very weird with his wig. In the end both teams ended up winning there court case. The pursuers came 2nd place out of all the schools points and the defenders in 4th place. We have been invited to watch the finals and we still have a chance to win some prizes in the separate competitions like best court gowns and best court artistry. It was very fun and exciting.”
Pupils learned a lot about the Scottish justice system and the career opportunities within it. From solicitors to paralegals and court artists, pupils had the chance to take on a number of roles and learn some of what they entailed. It has been a great learning experience and the pupils have gotten a lot out of it.
