Your Questions Answered about The Magistrates Association Mock Trial Competition
Welcome to our FAQ overview, where we aim to provide clarity on various aspects of the Magistrates Association S & W Devon, Mock Trial competition.. Here, you will find answers to the most common questions regarding the competition
Understanding
Teams
Do we need to write our own script?
No. We will provide a scripted court scenario which will be sent out in advance. There will be one script for the Local Heats and a different script for the Grand Final Competition. Children should please stick to the script and not introduce their own questions in cross examination. We do not expect the children to learn the script or be word perfect. We do expect them to be familiar with their lines and role so they are able to give a confident performance.
How many pupils will be able to take part?
For the Local Heats there is a speaking role for 6 children. The Grand Final has speaking parts for 7 pupils and 2 non-speaking roles for the Court Artist and Court Reporter.
Can we enter more than one team?
You may be able to enter up to a maximum of two teams for the Local Heats if there is capacity. It’s important the competition is open to as many different schools across S & W Devon. We will be holding the Local Heats across all the boroughs so that the Grand Final has as wide a geographical spread as possible.
Local Heats and Grand Final locations?
There will be Local Heats across with schools from neighbouring boroughs competing for a place. We will try to arrange locations as close to the competing schools locations as possible. Details of locations will be provided as soon as possible prior to the heats.
The schools participating in the Grand Final will be notified of the location, date and time.
Dates
When will these events occur?
The Local Heats will be arranged between January and the Easter break. Depending on participants The Grand Final will be held once numbers are known. Exact dates will be provided as soon as possible in the New Year.
Time.
How long will the competition take?
For the Local Heats, as a provisional guide, we expect each school to be with us for around 1 hour and 15 minutes, not the full day. Each trial lasts 45 minutes plus time to arrive, set up and vacate.