CREATIVE youngsters at Okehampton School have enabled the school to gain its first Arts Award.

The school has successfully put 29 pupils through their Arts Award Explore entry level award certificate. Since qualifying to facilitate the award at ‘Discover and Explore’ level last year, artist in residence Luna Burrell, is now set to make the award a permanent fixture at the school. The school is one of only a handful of centres in the local area offering this award to primary school children.

Arts Award’s unique qualifications support young people to develop as artists and arts leaders. The award is open to ages five to 11 at the Discover and Explore level and then moves on to bronze, silver and gold up to the age of 25.

Arts Award embraces all interests and backgrounds in the arts and through working towards an award young people learn to work independently, helping them to prepare for further education and eventually employment.

The pupils managed to combine their art workshop experiences with completing their logbook, and showcasing their learning in the Museum of Dartmoor Life. The children successfully worked through hours of research, learning new skills and exhibiting their final pieces in the ‘Moss and Lichen’ exhibition at the museum last summer.

This followed on from the success of the first exhibition commemorating the soldiers of World War One in November 2014. The art exhibitions have been so successful that the primary school, Museum of Dartmoor Life and The National Association of Decorative Fine Arts Societies (NADFAS) will collaborate annually to exhibit the children’s art at the museum every summer.

The recognition of the children’s artistic talents have been praised by tourists from all over the world and even gaining recognition from articles in the world of fine arts through NADFAS press.

Luna Burrell said: ‘With the hard work and determination that the children excelled in, it was a natural progression to run the Art Award Explore alongside the workshops for the children exhibiting at the museum art exhibition.

‘Okehampton really is offering something very unique and special to the children of this town especially in contribution to the larger scheme of the arts in the UK.’

On completing their Arts Award Explore and one of the first children in the Primary School to do so, Shea Rogers, aged ten, said: ‘Taking part in the award was challenging, but I learned so many new skills and my confidence in carrying out those skills has improved.

‘I feel I can pass on these to other children and carry on learning to the bronze level. I’m very proud of myself for gaining the award and feel ready to learn even more challenging skills.’

The children who have passed the Arts Award Explore are now involved in the next art exhibition project at the primary school, also in collaboration with NADFAS and the Museum of Dartmoor Life.

The next project ny the school is named ‘Two Rivers’ aimed at exploring the landscape of Okehampton and its two rivers the East and West Okement, that pass through it. The exhibition will be held at the Museum of Dartmoor Life from July 13 until the start of September.