I was reading about Rex Whistler this morning and discovered that his talents were spotted early by winning annual prizes in the competitions organised by The Royal Drawing Society.  It was the first I had heard of it.

It was apparently established in 1888 with the support of artists including Lord Leighton and Sir John Millais to promote drawing in schools.  It was recognised that children can draw before they can write and that teaching drawing promotes both perception and memory.  There were certificates which were won not just by Rex Whistler, but many artists of the early twentieth century until the competitions came to an end in the 1960s.

Maybe it should be revived.