RENOWNED British sculptor Richard Wentworth was at a Bexley school to present its alternative to the annual Turner arts prize.

Welling School, Elsa Road, is a specialist visual arts college and students from Years 11, 12 and 13 have been working for the past 12 months to produce quality pieces of contemporary art.

The alTURNERtive prize was awarded this year to Kate Lovell for two pieces of work entitled Widow and Zip Dress which explored her interest in textiles as an art form.

The judges were Michael Archer, Dean of Ruskin College and a Turner prize judge in 2002, art college director Henry Ward, teacher and artist Darren O'Connor and Nicky Field who won the award in 2003.

They believed Kate's work "demonstrated a consistency and understanding which surpassed her years."

She was chosen from 12 shortlisted students, all of who have their work on display. Presenting the prize Mr Wentworth said: "The exhibition as a whole is eveidence the students at Welling School are culturally well fed."

The other shortlisted students were Shane Addison, Iain Ball, Caroline Broughton, Cheryl Hollands, Rhea Johnson, David Lockyer, Jack Matthews, Joe Matthew, Victoria Norton, Amber Sparks and Anthony Williams.

Mr Wentworth attended Hornsey College of Art, Crouch End, from 1965 and worked with influential sculptor Henry Moore as an assistant in 1967. He was awarded an MA in 1970 from the Royal College of Art and went on to become one of the most influential teachers in British art over the past two decades at Goldsmith's College, University of London, where he taught from 1971 to 1987.