Kate praised by art charity chief (From South Wales Guardian)

Kate praised by art charity chief

10:58am Tuesday 21st February 2012 in National News © Press Association 2011

The Duchess of Cambridge has been praised for her "understanding of the arts" as she arrived at a school where painting and drawing are used to help children with behavioural problems.

Kate travelled to a primary school in Oxford to learn about the work of one of her new charities which uses art therapy to aid youngsters with issues such as low self-esteem and Asperger syndrome.

The Duchess became patron of The Art Room in the new year, and she met staff and pupils from Rose Hill Primary School, Oxford, where the charity runs a dedicated arts therapy room. When the royal arrived, she was greeted by dozens of cheering children waving Union flags who lined her route to the school doors.

Kate, wearing a brown dove-patterned dresscoat by London-based Irish designer Orla Kiely, stopped to chat to some of the youngsters as she walked up the drive and past a large group of photographers.

Also patiently waiting to greet Kate was Mark Thompson, director-general of the BBC and a trustee of The Art Room.

Gifts are normally presented at the end of a royal visit but two youngsters gave the Duchess an apron emblazoned with "Miss Catherine", some dog treats for her new pet cocker spaniel, and a bouquet of cream-coloured roses.

When Kate walked into the school, a group of children were sitting on the floor and they greeted the royal, who bent down to their level to say hello.

Moments before she arrived, they had been singing a song with new words added to the popular tune She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain. The youngsters sang "She'll be coming in a big limo when she comes" and "We'll all wave and greet her, 'hello ma'am'".

The second part of Kate's visit saw her visit the Oxford Spires Academy, where the Art Room has another centre, used by the school's teenage pupils and those of two nearby primary schools.

She was greeted with loud cheers by students, who lined her route to the Art Room facility on the school grounds, and stopped to chat to several on the way. Eleanor Oxendale, 12, presented the duchess with purple and red tulips which were handed to her in a box decorated with stamps.