A group of Year 6 pupils got the chance to ‘take over’ a shopping centre for a day and learn about what goes on behind the scenes.

Twelve youngsters from Mission Grove Primary School in Buxton Road, Walthamstow spent the day shadowing professionals and learning what is involved in the day to day running of The Mall in Selborne Walk.

The students were given the unique opportunity to work alongside members of the management, marketing and security teams to gain a better understanding of how the centre is run.

The children were asked to design a poster for The Mall’s impending 30th anniversary, which will be collated and printed on tote bags and tea towels.

Zara, a pupil who took part in the challenge on Monday, October 8 said: “I enjoyed the trip overall. It was an extraordinary experience.

“I enjoyed the shopping the most because we got new resources for our school to use this academic year.”

Edward Fincham, assistant headteacher at Mission Grove, added: “The children thoroughly enjoyed their day out taking over The Mall.

“It was eye-opening for them to question the staff and look behind the scenes at a place they visit regularly.

“They particularly enjoyed the budgeting challenge as it gave them an invaluable opportunity to put their maths knowledge into practice in a real-life scenario.

“The group have not stopped talking about how much they enjoyed the day.”

After their day’s work was over, pupils were asked to write a brief report of their day at The Mall as homework.

The winning report will be published on The Mall’s website and social media pages and the winner will receive a special prize.