News

On Saturday 7th December 16 St Christopher's students battled through Storm Darragh to Preston Crown Court to take part in the regional heats of the Bar Mock Trial Competition run by Young Citizens.

The event brought together teams from schools across the region to showcase their legal skills in a challenging and realistic courtroom environment. The St Christopher's team, which consisted of Year 11, Year 12 and Year 13 students, had been preparing their cases for weeks and took on the roles of Barristers, Witnesses, the Jury, Court Clerk and Usher. The team spent many hours after school and at lunchtimes working to be ready for the competition and on the day itself their exceptional teamwork, critical thinking and public speaking skills were all on show. 

The event was very well-organised and it was fun to meet with students from other local schools and colleges.

Our students tackled complex legal cases, involving ABH and drug possession, with professionalism and confidence, impressing both the judges and their peers. We were really pleased to have won two of the three cases which we took part in, even surprising the sitting judge with one successful prosecution and a "guilty" verdict when he believed it should have been a definite "not guilty"! Though it was Runshaw College which won the heat overall, we are so proud of the team who performed so well in only our second year of taking part in the competition.

Miss Smith, Head of Law A-level said,

"I am incredibly proud of our pupils and students for their outstanding performance in the Mock Trial Competition. We were the only team which included Year 11 pupils and we were on par with the college teams all day. The team's dedication, professionalism, and teamwork were truly inspiring, and they represented our school with excellence. This experience which has also included a trip to Burnley Combined Court, a Q and A with two sitting judges and mentorship from a local Barrister has undoubtedly sparked confidence in all our team and raised ambition for their futures."

We’d like to thank Mrs Flanagan and Mr Allen who were both involved in the preparation and to Miss Broderick who helped to prepare and supported the team on the day. As well as the FoSC (Friends of St Christopher's) Team for their support of the endeavour by covering the entry fee.