How to teach about courts and the justice system

Zoe leads on the development and delivery of professional learning, working with a range of agencies and ACT regional Teaching Ambassadors. She ensures that our teachers have a wealth of material to draw on to support their roles in school. Zoe’s qualifications include a History and Social Science BA hons, PGCE, and Fellowship of Holocaust Education. She also works on the ITT programme at Canterbury Christ Church University, and she has been a teacher in Kent for over 20 years, as well as an ACT teaching advisor. Zoe is also a freelance educator at the Holocaust Educational Trust, working on the Lessons From Auschwitz Project and accompanying survivors into schools to deliver their testimony.

Jane is Head of Citizenship at a small 11-16 comprehensive school in the south Cotswolds. She has around 80 pupils studying GCSE Citizenship Studies and is responsible for the key stage 3 Citizenship curriculum. A History teacher originally, Jane has found the transition to leading Citizenship invigorating as it brings a fabulous ‘live’ element to her classroom.

Matthew is an Information Officer at the United Kingdom Supreme Court (UKSC), where he has worked since January 2023, initially as a Registry Support Officer, transitioning into his current role in April 2023. He runs the courts mooting programme, where university law societies can apply to host the final of their mooting competition at the Supreme Court in front of a Supreme Court Justice. He also delivers guided tours, primarily to secondary school and sixth form aged students and helps manage the exhibit, as well as supporting the wider goals of the communications department, including improving disability access. Prior to joining UKSC,he studied an MA in Legal and Political Theory at UCL and an undergraduate degree in Law in Politics (LLB) at the University of Manchester before that.

 Lizzie is the Learning Manager for National Justice Museum based at the Royal Courts of Justice (RCJ) in London, where she has worked since August 2016, previously as Learning Officer and since October 2021 as Learning Manager. Her role is focused on managing the learning programme operating at the RCJ, the main elements of which are their courtroom workshops, where they take students into the real working courtrooms and facilitate a mock trial. Lizzie liaises with legal professionals who sign up to attend Q&A sessions with school groups as well as other internal and external stakeholders to ensure the smooth running of visits. She also delivers education sessions. Prior to working at the RCJ she was a primary school teacher, trained in Early Years education. She then moved into the field of heritage education, with a position in the UK Parliament Education Service before taking on a role at the RCJ.