Schools resources

National Schools Project

The CPS is committed to improving public understanding of our work. We are especially keen to ensure that members of the public know what support is available to them either as a victim or a witness. As part of this commitment, the National Schools Project has been developed.

Through the Schools Project, CPS staff deliver lessons to Key Stage three and four pupils (11-16 year olds). These lessons form part of the Citizenship Curriculum and are aimed at educating students not only about the CPS but also about the Criminal Justice System as a whole.

In addition, community cohesion has become an integral part of schools' formal and informal life. Schools are an essential part of our local community. Community cohesion is now part of the OFSTED framework for inspection and inspectors are keen to see evidence of a school's active involvement with local partners. The teaching material has been written to take this into account.

Two one-hour lessons have been designed to be interactive and stimulating for students whilst being informative and educational.

Students have the opportunity to participate in a scripted role-play exercise involving a Crown Court trial where they take on the roles of the characters involved. They also act as lawyers using a mock file especially written for the project where they make the decision of whether to prosecute or not based on the available evidence.