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".
To listen to an audio with staff and students talking about Kendrick's history, life at school and what the school means to us all, please click on the link below.
Kendrick Voices
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 9th January 2026
Please click here for previous weekly updates.
Friday 9th January 2026
Letter from Ms Kattirtzi, Headteacher
A Happy New Year to everyone and welcome back to school. I hope everyone has had a restful and peaceful holiday.
We said goodbye to two members of staff last term: Mme Roujanksy and Miss Waller. We wished them well in their new plans and positions. This term we welcome new members of staff to Kendrick: Mme Harding, Head of the French Department and Mrs Sawford who joins the English and Drama Departments. Dr Green is also returning to teach some sixth form lessons in the English Department. We hope they will enjoy working with us and being part of the Kendrick community.
School life has resumed quickly, and it was wonderful to welcome students back after the holiday. I was on gate duty on Tuesday, and I particularly enjoyed saying hello to students and staff as they came into school. It was nice to receive enthusiastic responses from students generally quite happy to be back at school. Returning to school/work and resuming routines are so important for all of us. Providing structure and organisation to one’s day, catching up with friends and colleagues are all part of the very important social elements of school life. Being welcomed back within a friendly and safe environment is also important for our mental health and wellbeing and provides us with motivation and a desire to get on with what we are here for. Students and staff were straight back into lessons in period 1 on Tuesday with Year 11 students very quickly settling down to their mock examinations. Mock examinations are always a tense and stressful period for students, and I am sure Year 11 students were not as enthusiastic as the rest of the school to back on Tuesday, but they responded appropriately to their new routine which will last for this week and next.
I would like to thank the Kendrick Parents’ Society for encouraging parents to give to the Christmas Wishlist. The target was £5k which has been exceeded with £6.6k was raised! Thank you to all parents who contributed to this initiative. I would also like to thank KPS for sending through to us the lovely and appreciative comments that were collected from parents about the staff of the school. This was such a kind gesture and gave members of staff a well needed boost at the end of term. There is such value in expressions of kindness that can really lift people, particularly at times of stress. To know that our parents appreciate what we do for the students encourages everyone in their daily work. My sincere thanks to KPS and to the parents who made contributions to this initiative and for the biscuits and fruit that were provided for staff at the end of term. These were also most welcome!
Back to last term on 16th December we had a most pleasant afternoon when we welcomed back our former Year 13 students and their parents for the presentation of A Level certificates. This cohort of students joined Kendrick in September 2018. Throughout their time with us they were a most enthusiastic, hardworking, and lively group of students who focused well on their studies and contributed enormously to school life. Their results at A Level were excellent and the university destinations and courses they are now studying are impressive. We are so very proud of them and wish them all the best for the future. The link here is to the results and destinations of these students.
As part of the A Level presentation ceremony a former student gives a speech to the students and parents. This year the speaker and presenter of the certificates was Dr Ellie Dodson who left Kendrick in 2015. Ellie was a member of the Head Girl Team and an enthusiastic member of it promoting community activities. After Kendrick, Ellie went to Bristol University to study Medicine. She is now completing her medical training at the Royal Berkshire Hospital and regularly visits Kendrick to speak to students in PSHCE lessons. In her speech at the presentation event, Ellie spoke about themes that had her helped her in her personal and educational development and suggested these to the students:
- Look for the lessons in life - practise reflection and be sure to nurture your little fire of hope, and the fires of those around you.
- Confront fear and perfectionism – confront your fear of failure, because people who don’t fail don’t try
- Invest in your brand – reflect on how you want to show up for yourself. Invest in developing personal relationships. Earn respect through content competence, maturity, and genuine care for others.
Everyone enjoyed Ellie’s speech and after the ceremony over refreshments many students spoke to Ellie, particularly those who are studying medicine.
Staff had an INSET Day on Monday 6th January undertaking further professional training on important aspects of education. This year our focus was on the work we do on inclusion with students across the school. We discussed different strategies and approaches we use to respond to students’ different needs and experiences. We had a particular focus on pupil premium students and examined trends both at Kendrick and nationally around the work and good practice in this area. We also looked at our own pupil premium strategy which is published on our website and you can read here.
I will finish with a couple of articles on the website. One featuring a member of staff, Frau Hellwig, in an article explaining how Frau Hellwig started her journey to become a Teacher in the UK. This was through the Cultural Exchange Ambassador programme which eventually led her to train as a teacher and to join us in the German Department. We are very pleased to have Frau Hellwig on our staff and the excellent contributions she makes in the German Department and in pastoral work where she is a Deputy Pastoral Leader in KS4. The article can be found here.
Also, I would like to mention the important work that Miss Hyde, Head of Key Stage 3, has been doing producing Mental Health and Wellbeing webinars for parents and students. The first webinar, Teenagers and Social Media – Risks, Realities and Relationships which we sent out at the end of last term is here. We know that several parents have watched the webinar and found it very informative. If you have not seen it yet, please take some time to do so. Mrs is Hyde is working on the second episode in the series entitled: Seeing Me - Body Image and Identity, which we will send to you in due course.
Wishing everyone a good weekend and a very good term and year ahead.
Ms Christine Kattirtzi
Headteacher
School Notices
In the event of extreme weather and the school having to close, you will receive an email by 7.00am and our website will be updated with an emergency message. If you do not receive a message, then the school is open as normal.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding at Kendrick School
Water Safety Near Frozen Water
Wellbeing
Mental Health and Wellbeing at Kendrick School
How to help a child who feels lonely
You are not alone drop in for February. A free monthly online drop-in for parents and carers.
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.
Canteen
The menu for Autumn/Winter can be found here. The menu is subject to change dependent on food availability. Please ensure that you regularly check your child's canteen balance on their ParentPay account and settle any 'overdrafts' quickly. Overdrafts should only be issued on an exceptional basis and not as a regular occurrence.
Week commencing 11th January - Week A
Year 11 Mocks
- Wednesday 14th January - Sixth Form German Trip
- Thursday 15th January - Trustees L&T Committee, 4.30pm
Student Careers and Work Experience
No vacancies at the current time.
ParentPay and Evolve Reminders
Reminders on Friday 9th January 2026
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