Last term saw GCSE Citizenship pupils visiting the Galleries of Justice in Nottingham giving them the opportunity to reinforce their course material.
Head of Citizenship, Viv Lamb, tells us more:-
“In GCSE Citizenship, much of the Form 4 curriculum explores both civil and criminal law. We know that active learning embeds knowledge so we rounded off the term by visiting the Galleries of Justice, which is a marvellous facility based on the former courts. The building houses a Victorian Courtroom, a Georgian gaol, and ancient cells – all spread over five fascinating floors.
Our visit had a number of purposes:-
The Practical
- Holding a Crown Court Case in a proper court room with our students playing all the parts.
The Reflective
- On the methods of punishment England has used through the ages; how some have been resurrected under different disguises – for example the Victorian Exercise yard where masks were worn to stop the prisoners communicating links to methods used at Guantanamo bay. The deprivation of human interaction as part of punishment leads to reflection on how many human rights should be lost as part of punishment?
Theory to Practice
- Preparing a case for court (different from the practical one). Was protocol followed? What can be used by the defence to build a case? What can be used by the prosecution? Etc.”
“All these tasks will help with the students’ course and everyone had great fun. The pupils were surprised by how tired they were on the bus home because their brains had been well and truly exercised! We are very grateful to the museum staff who run and support these sessions.”
