Year 6 Theatre of Law

On Thursday, the children participated in a session which introduced them to the legal terminology and explained what constitutes as a crime. This is part of the wonderful Theatre of Law project which Year 6 take part in every year. 

The Royal Courts of Justice in London is the setting for this innovative project. It is delivered to Primary students to improve their understanding of the law and the contemporary justice system. This project is currently supported by the Mayor’s fund for London.

“Working with young people to understand the law and their role in society at an early age is essential to ensure they play a full part in London’s future. Theatre of Law meets this need and promotes social and emotional skills that underpin effective learning and positive behaviour.” - Matthew Patten, CEO

The project links to English, Citizenship and Drama in the National Curriculum and consists of two days – one at school and one at the Royal Courts of Justice. Our pupils have worked on crime stories inspired by real cases and learnt about the consequences of crimes, debate on punishments and prepared for their mock trial at the Royal Courts of Justice.

In the Court, our pupils acted-out the script, playing the roles of the judges, the barristers, the jury, the witnesses and all other characters in a real Victorian courtroom, followed by a tour of the Courts.

The project has four aims:

1. Improve young people’s knowledge and understanding of the law
2. Give participants the opportunity to learn about the consequences of crime and the impact on individuals and society
3. Provide an insight into the workings of the Justice system
4. Raise aspirations amongst those who participated in the project to see the law and related areas as a potential future career

"I didn't know that if a person is in a gang and one of the members hurts somebody else, the whole gang would get prosecuted because of joint enterprise!" 

Jack Eve, Redwood