Visiting a court

Generally courtrooms are open to the public and you can attend and listen to proceedings. There may be occasions when courts are closed to the public, perhaps where a child witness is giving evidence or because of the nature of the proceedings. Court staff will be able to advise you. There are some rules and you should read more about Attending a Court before visiting.

School visits

Occasionally, schools will arrange a visit to their local court to give school children the opportunity to see a court house and learn more about it.

For Sheriff Courts, schools should prearrange a visit to the court by contacting the Sheriff Clerk of the court concerned. Contact details can be found by using the Court locator tool. For Supreme Courts, schools should contact the Administration Unit of the Supreme Courts supreme.courts@scotcourts.gov.uk

The School Mock Court Case Project

SCTS supports the School Mock Court Case Project (Mock Courts). There are agreed processes in place between SCTS and the project for arranging the use of court facilities for the mock court programmes. Arrangements for the use of sheriff court facilities is arranged centrally between the project administrators and SCTS. Sheriff courts should not be contacted directly.

For the Supreme Courts, arrangements are agreed between the project administrators and the Supreme Courts Administration Unit.

Further information can be found at www.mockcourt.org.uk

Doors Open Day

Many courts take part in Doors Open Days throughout September.  Visitors can often take part in tours, as well as learning about the history of the court and the valuable work that takes place within.