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An arts competition inspired by the high profile nationwide Turner Prize produced an array of thought-provoking and skilful creations by talented young artists from the Viking Academy Trust schools.

Children from Ramsgate Arts Primary, Upton Juniors and Chilton Primary, entered the first ever VAT Arts prize 2019 and their work was on display  at the Silverland gallery at Ramsgate Harbour arches on Monday, December 2, the day before the Turner Prize winner was announced at Dreamland in Margate.

Six artists were shortlisted and their work was in a variety of styles including clay, 3d installations, and paintings, with themes ranging from the environment and the right of groups and individuals, to personal experiences and war.

They were Rhea with No Rain, No Rainbow which was inspired by the concept of resilience; Tommaso whose theme was Greed, inspired by the fact that some people have everything and others have nothing; Freya whose work Happy Place was inspired by the belief that everyone deserves a happy and safe place, so she created a miniature bedroom; Blakely’s contribution was My Unfair World which detailed his health battles; Nadia’s Plastic Earth explored the belief that Earth is taken for granted and that we should look after our planet better; and Rebecca’s questioning piece about the future was called Will This Be Our World?

VAT Trustee Rob Kenyon told the gathering:” Art makes us all better people. Research shows that for grown up and young people taking part in art based activities makes us healthier, happier, kinder, (and even more likely to vote).

“Children learning about arts are more likely to do better at school and children from schools in low income areas are three times more likely to get a degree - but most of all it is great fun.

“Great artists often collaborate, so it is fantastic that Chilton, Upton and RAPS are working together.

“Margate might have the world-renowned Turner prize giving; but, inspired by displaying in this wonderful professional gallery, maybe we’ve got the future winners here in Ramsgate tonight.”

Blakely, aged seven from Ramsgate Arts Primary, was named as the winner for his installation on a hospital trolley that showed photos, images and equipment from his ongoing treatment for a serious health condition. It was called My Unfair World.

He arrived at the prize giving with his family after being in the children’s Rainbow Ward at the QEQM Hospital in Margate for treatment for an infection.

Michaela Lewis, Executive Head Teacher of the Viking Academy Trust, said: “I am overwhelmed with the very high standard of work – I think all our shortlisted artists are winners.”

She praised children, their families and staff “who worked tirelessly to make the inaugural VAT Art Award a phenomenal success.”

She added: “It is a fabulous opportunity for our children to have their excellent and thought-provoking artwork displayed in this lovely professional gallery.”

And she confirmed that there would definitely be a similar competition run by the VAT in 2020.

Ramsgate Arts Primary Head of School Nick Budge said the competition “builds on the rich opportunities that VAT children already have to be involved in the Arts, and in Art specifically.”

He said the VAT competition celebrated the Turner Prize competition and spoke of the strong ties and collaborative work between the Turner Contemporary Gallery and pupils including the ongoing Pioneering Places project, and the Frequency project devised by Turner Prize shortlisted artist Oscar Murillo.”

He praised the RAPS art team for their key efforts and enthusiasm in engaging pupils from the Trust schools and for setting a competition brief that generated “fantastic results.”

A screamtastic day of fun and learning was a Halloween treat for little children at Ramsgate Arts Primary.

The Spooky Arts Day gave the four and five year olds from Reception classes the chance to enjoy a range of activities in specially decorated themed classrooms.

Pupils added to the atmosphere and were dressed and made up in their horrifying outfits including witches, skeletons, Dracula, dragons, ghosts, zombies and werewolves as well as less scary costumes including Spiderman and Super Mario.

Among the fun activities were learning a spooky song, getting creative and making stars out of sticks, skeletons from cotton buds, cutting out card to make a witches face and hat and then painting it ghastly green and black, and making pumpkin faces by printing in paint with cut apples.

Being immersed in lots of different arts activities for a whole day engaged pupils in a variety of creative styles using many different resources and techniques including weaving, chalk rubbing, painting and printing.

Sensory activities waited for the young ghostbusters in the outdoor play area where they delved into frightful foam and spiders to find eyeballs, spiders and worms (pasta).

They also cooked up a monster mixture in the outdoor kitchen making spells and using colourful mud in the creepy cooks’ cauldron.

Head of Early Years Sophie Spurrier said: “The Halloween art day was a great success with the children and it gave them a chance to really engage with all types of creativity with a specific theme in the morning and afternoon. They really enjoyed all the tasks and opportunities and worked well together.”

Head of School Nick Budge added: “Creativity is a central part of life at RAPS and having a full art day with so many different learning experiences is brilliant for these children. They have only been with us since September but they are really engaged with all of the different types of learning that our specialist arts primary can offer.”

To book a tour of RAPS and see the arts learning in action, contact Head of School Nick Budge on 01843 582847.

Ramsgate Arts Primary School is part of the Viking Academy Trust with Upton Junior School at Broadstairs and Chilton Primary School, Ramsgate.

This is a request for all your favourite family recipes!

We would like you to share the recipes that your children ask for time and time again, as we are hoping to publish your tried-and-tested, much-loved meals in a RAPS family cookbook, which will be illustrated by the children and sold to raise funds for the school. The money raised will go towards a Kitchen Garden!

We are sure that the book, a celebration of the food RAPS families love to cook at home, will make a perfect gift and will be packed full of inspiration for when you get stuck in a rut, thinking ‘what shall we cook for dinner?’

Covering everything from breakfast and lunch to snacks and dinner, we’d love you to send in your recipe contributions. Perhaps it’s the recipe for a dish you often make with your child, your legendary bolognaise, go-to curry, stir-fry or ultimate roast chicken? We are also looking for quick meal ideas, simple breads or homemade ice cream, perfectly sinful chocolate brownies or failsafe crumble, or it could be your family’s take on eggy bread… anything goes. If it’s a winner, we want to try it, and it’ll go in the book!

Please send your recipes (including ingredients, quantities and method) to lauranickoll@yahoo.com, including a picture of the dish (if you have one) and if there’s a story behind the recipe that you’d like to share, please do include it.

There may even be a teacher/parent ‘Cook-Off’, judged by the kids (brace yourself, they won’t hold back…) Teachers, we need your recipes, too!

Thinking about training to teach?

Bach to the Future took children on a musical journey through time at Ramsgate Arts Primary.

Kent Music’s professional musicians Colin, Graeme and Lori conducted a packed hall of pupils on a sonic trip from the days of Bach around 300 years ago to the present.

They demonstrated the woodwind, string and brass sections of the orchestra and explained how instruments react to sound vibrations whether caused by blowing, plucking, strumming or bowing.

The trio also showed how the most basic of home-grown instruments can be played – a length of hose and a funnel became a brass instrument; a series of straws joined together and played like a rudimentary clarinet; and a broom pole, string and bucket upright bass.

The fourth section of a traditional orchestra is percussion and this was shown on a large screen where performers The Blue Men created a range of drum sounds using different length of plastic piping.

The roadshow included live demonstrations of music from film, TV and musical theatre, and a range of different styles from classical and jazz to popular music.

Richard Davies, Kent Music area manager for Thanet and Canterbury, visited the RAPS show. He said: “This school has quite an extensive music provision and I understand it is being broadened in the coming school year.”

The Roadshow aims to inspire children to learn a musical instrument and to encourage an understanding of just how valuable music is to our world and to our everyday lives.

Head of School Nick Budge said: “The roadshow was brilliant – it had all the pupils enthralled and it really supported the type of learning that we are offering. Music is one of our cornerstone subjects as an arts specialist school and Kent Music is very supportive of what we are achieving.”

Ramsgate Arts Primary School is part of the Viking Academy Trust with Upton Junior School at Broadstairs and Chilton Primary School, Ramsgate.

To book a tour of RAPS and see the arts learning in action, contact Head of School Nick Budge on 01843 582847.

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