Yorkshire schoolchildren will be taught about the law and their basic civil and criminal rights by Solicitor General Robert Buckland QC MP and a group of law students.
The Year 5 pupils (age 9 and 10) from Adel Primary School will take part in a mock trial of Goldilocks vs the Three Bears at BPP University Law School in Leeds where they will decide if Goldilocks is guilty of breaking and entering, causing criminal damage and stealing the bears’ food.
Aligned to the new National Curriculum, the Streetlaw session explains the criminal trial process through the well-known fairytale, helping children learn about the legal system, courts and the people who appear in them in an interesting and enjoyable way.
The Solicitor General said:
“Teaching children about the law means they have a greater understanding of their legal rights and responsibilities that they can use throughout their lives.
“Such sessions provide an excellent legal foundation together with helping to raise confidence and skills in both the pupils and law students.
“Public legal education not only has a practical and a beneficial effect upon our legal system but on young people’s lives. I’m looking forward to an enjoyable session.”
Emma Blackstone, Pro Bono Manager at BPP University Law School in Leeds said:
“Streetlaw is such a fantastic way to teach young people about the legal issues that relate to them. The Goldilocks workshop is one of our most popular primary school sessions and we have delivered it in schools across Yorkshire.
“At BPP University, we are educating the next generation of lawyers. Taking part in Streetlaw helps our students to develop the key skills they will need in practice.
“The project also develops a sense of social responsibility in our students. We encourage them to use their legal knowledge to improve access to justice for others. This is an ethos they carry with them into their professional careers.”
Streetlaw is a national, public legal education project that is delivered by law students in universities across England and Wales. The students deliver interactive and engaging legal workshops that aim to educate community groups and school children about the law as it relates to them.
The Solicitor General will also meet law students who have been giving free legal advice – with guidance from qualified lawyers – to members of the public at the University’s advice clinic and through the Employment Law Telephone Advice Line.
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