Become a Law School Taskmaster

Posted by The Law School

31 January 2024

Using the format of the hit TV show, Taskmaster, this exciting outreach project enables young people to learn about interesting aspects of the law through fun and interactive tasks set in the style of Taskmaster.

We work with Year 5 classes who are split into teams of 5-6 to compete against each other and other local schools in a bid to be crowned that year’s School Tasking Champions! During the in-school sessions, classes are introduced to some of the most interesting areas of law and are given a chance to practise key skills, such as teamwork, communication, and lateral thinking. Just as in the TV show, Taskmaster, School Tasking provides the opportunity for all children to shine based on their particular talents and skills.

We work with children from a diverse range of backgrounds, and our projects aim to widen access to university for under-represented pupils. Priority is given to non-selective state schools which serve disadvantaged communities (using widening participation data such as the proportion of free school meal students and school progress scores).

Watch this video to see the benefits of School Tasking in action.

Who are we looking for?

School Tasking is delivered in the classroom by our very own University of Exeter student Taskmasters. We are looking for undergraduate students who are passionate about creating a more accessible and inclusive law school and legal profession. Taskmasters will feel confident and able to support and guide our year 5 pupils in their assigned tasks, working to encourage curiosity and awareness of the world of law and of higher education. Taskmasters will be trained and supported by Dr Faye Bird, lecturer in law at the University of Exeter and the Law School’s Widening Participation Officer.

Taskmasters should:

Be enthusiastic
Have excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with a wide variety of people, particularly children, from different backgrounds
Be brilliant team workers
Be professional, well organised and reliable
Be pro-active and able to use their own initiative to respond to different situations appropriately
Be committed to widening participation in law and to fostering greater access to higher education generally.

If you are passionate about widening participation and encouraging pupils from less advantaged backgrounds to see higher education as a pathway open to them please send across a CV and a 200-word supporting statement on why you would like to become a Task Master to Law-School-Tasking@exeter.ac.uk or f.bird@exeter.ac.uk by 7^th February 2024. For those selected to be Taskmasters they will receive hourly pay at the rate set for the University of Exeter’s ambassadors scheme. Travel expenses will be reimbursed.