Belle Vue Girls School pupils had the opportunity to visit a Victorian courtroom at Bradford City Hall to celebrate their achievement; winning a place in the regional finals of the Magistrates’ Court Mock Trial Competition.
The girls, who are all in year nine, are the first competitors to make it through to the regional round of the contest. They were taken on a tour of the City Hall and given certificates by Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Naveeda Ikram.
In the competition pupils takes on the guises of prosecution and defence lawyers, witnesses, magistrates and court staff for specially written criminal cases. The competition is run by the Citizenship Foundation.
The first stage of the contest was held at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates’ Court with ten schools in total taking part. Their performances were judged by magistrates and other legal professionals.
The girls were helped to prepare for the competition by magistrates Gill Arnold and Andrew McLauchlan. Andrew said: “It gives them an insight into the justice system and lots of them do become more interested in law. Without fail everyone has said how much they enjoyed the experience.”
Citizenship co-ordinator at Belle Vue Girls, Rebecca Taylor, said: “It’s a massive achievement, we are so proud of the girls. They have such a mature attitude and are very hard working.”
The regional final will take place at Leeds Magistrates’ Court.