Pioneer Learning Trust pay a visit to The Mall Luton

The morning saw 24 local Year 4 students take a trip to the shopping centre to speak to the team who work hard to ensure the smooth running of the centre on a day-to-day basis. The day began with an introduction from Roy Greening, the Centre Director, who extended a welcome to the students and gave an outline of what was to follow throughout the day.

The students went on to then partake in fun quizzes and games, before taking an access-all-areas tour of the shopping centre, exploring areas such as the recycling hub which are usually inaccessible to the public.

After the tour, the students were challenged to unleash their creativity and design a mall of the future, taking into consideration digital innovation, sustainability, wellbeing and local community. Four teams were able to come up with imaginative and unique solutions which were presented to the staff at The Mall, with each carefully considered design showcasing artistic skill and talent.

After much deliberation, the judges decided upon the winning design, which included [add in]. Prizes were awarded to the winning team, and for the student who represented The Mall’s values of Respect, Integrity and Connectivity.

Lavinia Douglass, Marketing Manager at The Mall Luton commented: “It was a real privilege to welcome the students from the Pioneer Learning Trust to The Mall today.

"It was wonderful to be able to provide a small snapshot into all the work that goes on to maintain our shopping centre and it was inspiring to see how the young minds perceived the malls of the future. We have a lot to learn from the younger generation and we welcome them back to our centre anytime!”

Jamie Kelly, Lead Practitioner at the Pioneer Learning Trust said, “We are incredibly grateful to The Mall for allowing our pupils to visit, and to experience what life is like behind the scenes of such a busy shopping centre.

"They loved receiving their special tour as well as interacting with The Mall staff, to learn about all the different jobs that exist within the centre. It was an insightful experience, and who knows- maybe one of our Pioneer pupils will be a future Centre Director of The Mall!”

Further information can be found on The Mall’s website.