We kicked off the day at the Longleat Wildlife Conservation Student Conference, where the keepers gave us an interesting look at how captive breeding programmes are used to restore populations on the brink of extinction. The session focussed on the critically endangered giant magnolia snail, which was thought to be extinct until it was re-discovered in Vietnam in 2012.
On Wednesday 7th October, student leaders and volunteers of the Refugee Homework Club were fortunate to be given the opportunity to find out more about the Reading Refugee Support Group (RSG), the charity that runs this programme, and the other incredible ways in which they provide legal and practical support for refugees and asylum seekers who reside in Reading, no matter whether they have acquired settlement status or not.
This year's National Poetry Day was marked with an online assembly led by Mr Dilley, Head of English. Picking up on this year's theme of wonder, the assembly explored the Polish Nobel-prize-winning poet Wisława Szymborska whose poems often encourage us to pay attention to the small but wonderful things in the world around us. The assembly featured two A Level Further Maths students reading Szymborska's poem about the number Pi, and a video of students around the school (including some students reading a poem while playing Twister!) reading her poem 'Miracle Fair' in which she describes lots of everyday miracles that we can often take for granted. Inspired by this poem, students and staff were invited to contribute to our own 'Miracle Fair' poem by sharing examples of everyday miracles they are grateful for. We received so many responses that the full poem runs to five pages, but you can read a shorter version of our poem below.
The History and English departments were delighted to welcome local historian Dr Mary Chambers to Kendrick to talk about her recent book, The Kind Hosts of Willie Wimmera, which tells the true story of a 10-year old Aboriginal Australian boy who was brought to Reading in the 1850s by an Anglican clergyman and tragically died of tuberculosis a few years later.
We are delighted that Kendrick School has been awarded the Sutton Trust Fair School Admissions Award at Gold level 2026/7 for the third year running. The Sutton Trust is an educational charity in the United Kingdom which aims to improve social mobility and address educational disadvantages. The top Gold level is awarded to schools who have made several determined and significant changes to their admissions policies to ensure that there is fair access to all pupils, regardless of socio-economic background.
We are delighted with the A Level and GCSE results received this year at Kendrick School. We are very pleased and proud of our students and would like to congratulate them on their incredible achievements and celebrate their success.
After months of preparation, the Air Squadron Trophy (AST) team, made up of a group of RAF Cadets from both Kendrick and Reading School, secured 3rd place nationally, competing against a multitude of schools all across the country.
The Royal Air Squadron Trophy, or RAST, is a competition where a group of 13 cadets, part of the Combined Cadet Forces, take part in a series of events, ranging from Drill to Air Rifle Shooting to First Aid. Reading School CCF have been taking part in these events for almost a decade, and we performed exceptionally this year, both in the regional and national competitions.
Mila really enjoyed her bridge match at the House of Lords. She is pictured playing against Lord Hamilton and Lord Razzall. Mila’s team won, which was an extra bonus! And they were the only team with state school students on it!
The English Bridge Education Director wrote a short piece about the event:
On Wednesday 8th July we were thrilled to discover that two Kendrick students had been recognised in major national writing competitions.
The latest school creative writing anthology, 'Light and Dark', was launched on Tuesday 30th June with a special event in the library featuring readings of students' stories. This anthology was produced by our student-led Creative Writing Society, led by a committed group of Year 10 students: Eshaal, Savni, Roberta, Yiwen, Noemi, Harleen and Megan, and supported by Dr Button. As well as writing their own stories, they have mentored younger writers, editing and giving feedback on their work, which has now been published in this beautifully designed anthology.
On Thursday 2nd July, we were given the opportunity to meet up with the Reading School students who also do French A-level to take part in a debate-style discussion.
The Pi Representation Competition 2026 is a creative Maths competition hosted by Think Maths to celebrate Pi Day, which was on 14th March 2026. Students are challenged to display the mathematical constant π (3.14159...) using creative formats rather than standard numbers. Submissions are made in mediums such as visual art, computer code, music, poetry, and textiles.