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    • Welcome

    Ofsted report November 2022 "The Kendrick Pledge emphasises friendship, kindness, respect, equality, tolerance and justice, and these values underpin all that the school achieves. Pupils flourish in this exceptionally caring and inclusive learning environment. Secure, trusting relationships between staff and pupils ensure pupils feel very well supported and safe here. In turn, pupils’ excellent behaviour and impeccable manners make Kendrick a very special place to be". 

    Kendrick School is an 11-18 selective girls’ school with academy status. It has a local and national reputation as an outstanding school and has an impressive record of achievement as a centre of excellence for girls’ education.

    In its last five OFSTED inspections, Kendrick was judged an “outstanding” school. In our most recent inspection in November 2022, OFSTED stated "Pupils and sixth-formers are justly proud of their school community. They delight in their learning and truly excel here. One parent spoke for many when reflecting, ‘The school does a great job of creating well-rounded, kind, human beings who will hopefully go on to make the world a better place. The academic results are important, of course, but far from the only focus.’ Inspectors totally agree.

    Kendrick is a forward-looking school that grasps the opportunities that present themselves. A love of learning is at the heart of Kendrick with a strong emphasis on high-quality teaching. The curriculum is organised to meet the needs of all students and is engaging, rich and ambitious. All staff are hardworking and dedicated; students are bright, enthusiastic and curious; they love being at their school.

    At Kendrick, students enjoy a rich and varied extracurricular education. The House System provides opportunities for healthy competition with numerous annual house events, which are key activities in the school year. Kendrick Student Leaders work energetically and collaboratively with staff to support this vital community element of the school. In addition, we have a School Council, which discusses and drives change for students.

    Safeguarding and students’ mental health and wellbeing are prioritised above all else. As stated by Ofsted in November 2022, ‘The arrangements for Safeguarding are effective at Kendrick’ and ‘there is a culture of vigilance’ where ‘staff care deeply about pupils’ wellbeing’. 

    As part of Kendrick’s Widening Horizons strategic initiative, we actively pursue partnerships with schools and businesses in our local area and beyond. These associations benefit the students of Kendrick, as well as those in neighbouring schools. We share our good practice and offer opportunities to work with primary and secondary schools in the Reading area.

    Kendrick has expanded in recent years, a process that started in September 2020 and finished in September 2024 when an additional 32 students joined Kendrick in all year groups making Kendrick a four-form entry school for Years 7-11. This year the majority of the 128 students from Year 11 have moved into our sixth form, and we have welcomed an additional 40 students from other schools, making the whole school roll, 940 students, the largest the school has ever been. In our admission arrangements and policies, priority is given to pupil premium students and students living in the Reading area, which is called Priority Area 1. Our Widening Horizons initiative commits us to achieving greater participation and access for students from local primary schools and the local area. In July 2024 and again in July 2025, we were awarded the Sutton Trust Fair School Admissions Award at Gold level. This demonstrates our commitment to fair admissions and is a great accolade for the school to receive which we are immensely proud of. 

    As the Headteacher of Kendrick, it is my vision to lead, inspire and make a difference to the lives of girls and young women. I believe passionately in girls’ education and know that Kendrick School affords its students the very best education there is.

    Ms Christine Kattirtzi
    Headteacher

    September 2025

    Weekly UPDATE - FRIDAY 12TH dECEMBER 2O25

    Friday 12th December 2025

    Letter from Ms Kattirtzi, Headteacher

    I haven’t mentioned the website to you for some time, so please have a look at the recent articles that have been put on. There are so many things that go on in school every day which would be wonderful to share with you and create articles for the website, but the time to do so is sometimes a challenge. Below is a glimpse of some the activities students have been involved in recently. As always, I thank the students for their enthusiastic participation and the staff who give so much of their time and effort to make these events and activities happen.

    GCHQs National Language Competition 2025  
    Launch of Widening Horizons 2025-26
    Young Faces Safety Summit 
    Reading Schools Climate Conference 2025

    Today is a no less busy, with Year 10 GCSE Drama students performing pantos to primary school children from Katesgrove and Geoffrey Field School, two local primaries. All students have such fun on these occasions, with Kendrick students encouraging the wonderful audience participation from the primary children. Another performance occasion this week has been the Evening of Dance which featured group performances from across the school with all four Year 7 Tutor groups performing their group dance. Some beautiful individual performances from GSCE and A Level PE students made the evening a special event. Thank you to all our students who have been involved in these events this week, both on and off stage. Next week is the Christmas Concert, on Thursday 18th December, please come to support us on this final event of the term. Year 7 will be performing again!

    Today many students and staff are wearing Christmas jumpers as part of the Save the Children initiative to raise funds for the charity’s Christmas Appeal. We are asking parents for a donation of £2 and this can be paid directly to Save the Children by using the QR code further down in this update. Also, KPS has been delighted with the response from parents on the Wishlist contributions which have reached the target of £5k. This means that all the items on the Wishlist will be bought for departments. KPS has agreed that any extra money raised will go towards replacing an Inter Active Whiteboard in one of the classrooms. If you have not given a donation yet, then please do so here.

    It was International Human Rights Day on Wednesday, and a group of sixth formers led the school in a letter writing campaign called Write for Rights, an initiative run by the charity Amnesty International. Over 100 letters have been written to the governments of South Africa, Cambodia and Ecuador expressing our concern at the injustices that exist against specific groups of young people in these countries. An article is being prepared for the website for next week. This activity aligns so well with the part of our pledge that says we promise to stand against injustice. Thank you to everyone involved. For more information, on Amnesty and this specific campaign, please see this link  highlighting the meaningful phrase - a few words go a long way. 

    To end with a few more meaningful words, as expressed in our poem for Advent today, below is a poem which as Mr Dilley tells us ‘is a sonnet which captures what appears to be a very simple but beautiful moment - a snowflake landing on two young skaters just as they are about to kiss (the final rhyming couplet perhaps mirroring their kiss).  The poem explores the apparently random and unplanned events that led up to this moment - the formation of the snowflake from vapour rising to the sky, and its journey over "countless miles" to reach its destination: it could so easily not have happened, and yet it does. The snowflake is compared to love, "sensing, seeking out, its destiny", and there is something very touching about the way that the male skater also "blocks the wind raging from the south". Baer seems to be highlighting the innocence and fragility of both the snowflake and of young love, and yet both survive to coincide perfectly at this moment.’

    Snowflake
    by William Baer

    Timing’s everything. The vapor rises
    high in the sky, tossing to and fro,
    then freezes, suddenly, and crystalizes
    into a perfect flake of miraculous snow.
    For countless miles, drifting east above
    the world, whirling about in a swirling free-
    for-all, appearing aimless, just like love,
    but sensing, seeking out, its destiny.

    Falling to where the two young skaters stand,
    hand in hand, then flips and dips and whips
    itself about to ever-so-gently land,
    a miracle, across her unkissed lips:
    as he blocks the wind raging from the south,
    leaning forward to kiss her lovely mouth.

    Wishing everyone a peaceful weekend. Please enjoy our musical Christmas Card on our website via this link.

    Ms Christine Kattirtzi
    Headteacher

    School Notices

    Christmas Jumper Day
    If your child wore a Christmas jumper today, please donate £2 to Save the Children via the Just Giving QR code below. Thank you.

    Safeguarding

    Safeguarding at Kendrick School
    Information on TikTok 'Tap Out' Challenge

    Wellbeing

    Mental Health and Wellbeing at Kendrick School
    Article on Distraction Techniques

    SEND

    Adult Dyslexia Centre (ADC) - Understanding Dyslexia and Dyscalculia. An online course for parents, carers and teachers of dyslexic children.

    School Fund

    Please donate to our School Fund here. You can make one-off payments through your ParentPay account or complete a standing order form for more regular payments. If you are a UK taxpayer, please ensure you also complete a Gift Aid Form. 

    A school fund is maintained by voluntary contributions from the parents/carers of students. Its purpose is to provide an additional source of funding for the provision of facilities and educational resources for the benefit of students. We use our School Fund to support so many activities in and out of school that have now become essential to school life.

    Latest News on our Website
    GCHQs National Language Competition 2025  
    Launch of Widening Horizons 2025-26
    Young Faces Safety Summit 
    Reading Schools Climate Conference 2025

    School Calendar

    Week commencing 15th December 2025

    • Tuesday 16th December - Presentation of the A Level Certificates, 4.00pm
    • Thursday 17th December- Christmas lunch in the canteen; Christmas Concert 6.30pm
    • Friday 18th December - end of Term 2, 3.15pm

    Student Careers and Work Experience
    Current Opportunities

    Vacancies
    No vacancies at the current time.

    ParentPay and Evolve Reminders
    Reminders on Friday 12th December 2025

    Kendrick Parents' Society (KPS)
    Weekly News - 12th December 2025

     

    Letter from Mr Charles Ramsden, Chair of the Board of Trustees 

    On behalf of the trustee body, I would like to welcome everyone to the 2025-2026 academic year. I particularly welcome students joining us for the first time who will get the support they need to settle in quickly and make a positive contribution to the school.

    As trustees, we are responsible for working with Ms Kattirtzi, Headteacher and the Senior Leadership Team to agree on the strategic direction of Kendrick. We assist with setting the school's vision, aims and objectives. To do this, we are organised into three committees – Learning & Teaching, Performance and Review, and Resources. Each of these committees meets regularly, and we meet as a full board three times a year. All the trustees are committed to supporting the ethos of the school, and many have direct experience of the school – as a student, the parent of a student or as a staff member.

    We want to ensure that every student at Kendrick has the opportunity to thrive – academically, as a member of the school community, and in their personal development. Kendrick has something for everyone: a huge range of extracurricular activities including music, sports, and drama; opportunities to show leadership, as part of the School Council or the Student Leadership Team; and, of course, the chance to help others.

    I do hope that you will take advantage of the opportunities to engage with the school. We are always keen to get your feedback, and as Chair of the Board of Trustees, I am always happy to hear from any of you. Please feel free to contact Lisa Hillan, Governance Officer to the Trustee Board lhillan@kendrick.reading.sch.uk if you would like to get in touch.

    On behalf of the trustees, I wish everyone a successful year ahead.

    With best wishes

    Charles Ramsden
    Chairman of the Board of Trustees

    September 2025