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Letter from Ms Kattirtzi, Headteacher

 

I hope everyone enjoyed a pleasant half term and managed to have some rest and relaxation ready to embark on the second half of the academic year.

We started the week with Year 13 taking their mock examinations, an important time that marks the very near completion of the A Levels courses. The pressure and stress on students who are taking public exams later this year, both in Year 11 and Year 13 cannot be underestimated at this time. These exams matter a lot to students and for Year 13 students they determine their future plans. Talking to several Year 11 students recently, I am aware that they are all looking positively to the future, but at the same time trying to manage the expectations they feel from everyone around them. Many told me of their revision plans and how they are organising their schedules alongside rest and wellbeing activities. As in all things, a balance of work and relaxation is key to success. As the adults in their lives, we must collectively support and encourage our students in everything they are having to do over the next few months. We must step up to this with kindness and understanding without quoting our experiences to them which we cannot presume to imagine are in any way the same as theirs. I am sure parents are talking with their children about how they are managing the stress and workload and adjusting routines in their family life to support them. For information from Young Minds on how to help your child during revision and exam season click here.

The Kendrick Parents Society’s raffle has been launched and at the committee meeting this week we were told of the many prizes that there are on offer. Please engage in this initiative. I know parents can be generous and we need you to be so this time again. The money raised from the raffle will be spent on new Inter Active Whiteboards (IWB), an essential tool in every classroom to aid and support learning and teaching. Each IWB costs approximately £2500 so it would be wonderful if the money raised could buy 3 if not 4 of these boards. If every parent/family bought one raffle ticket, we would be able to buy four IWB! The link is here.

On the website is an article about a kind initiative that members of the sixth form have organised which has been to send birthday cards to a child in Birmingham who is battling with cancer. Please read the article here.

A group of students and a member of staff have returned form a 24-hour trip to Poland visiting Auschwitz as part of the Lessons from Auschwitz project that we always participate in every year. I am sure they are exhausted from the trip, but I am looking forward to meeting them and Mrs Calcutt-John who accompanied them to hear how it went and what actions they will follow up in their role as Holocaust Ambassadors for the school. This trip is directly linked to our Kendrick Pledge which we have been reflecting upon more deeply recently and developing a greater understanding of the words of it.

Looking ahead to next week we have two some significant events to look forward to. Firstly, Air Ambulance concert on Friday 6^th March, another annual event entirely run by sixth form students at Kendrick and Reading School. Tickets must be bought from https://www.trybooking.com/uk/FXNO , cost £8. All proceeds from the concert will go to Thames Valley Air Ambulance.  

Also, on Friday 6^th March we will be celebrating International Women’s Day. As well as an assembly in the morning with the whole school, members of Kendrick Student Leaders have written to female academics at the University of Reading and invited them to come into school to speak to students about their work and journey to the position that have now. The academics and other visitors invited include:

• Professor Parveen Yaqoob, OBE and Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Reading
• Dr Natasha Barratt Associate Professor in Anatomy and Physiology, University of Reading
• Yasmina Siadaton, Entrepreneur, former Kendrick student and Apprentice winner in 2008

There are other invited speakers coming to the school all of whom will inspire and motivate students by their stories and accounts of their educational journey and achievements. In a preview to this work on International Women’s Day,  9JP presented an excellent assembly on Women in Journalism this week, again highlighting women who have made an exceptional contribution to information and communication in their different roles and locations as journalists, reporting to us news of events in danger zones often putting their life at risk in the pursuit of their passion.

As many people will know, during half term the period of Ramadan started, the holiest month in Islam, a period marked by fasting, prayer and charity when Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn to dusk. This year at Kendrick and for the first time we are holding an iftar event after school today in the Hall. The event is by invitation only and many students and staff will be attending. This is an initiative that Mrs Mohamed, Geography Teacher, has organised and led.

Best wishes for the weekend.

Ms Christine Kattirtzi
Headteacher

School Notices

Profiling

As part of our programme of assessment and reporting the students receive an interim profiling interview with their Form Tutor or another teacher. This year’s session of profiling will take place on Tuesday 17^th March 2026.  

Year 7 Year 7 students will come into school for the full day as normal. They will spend the day on Drama activities. The tutor will let the students know when and where their profiling is due to take place. 

Year 8 and Year 11 Year 8 and year 11 students are asked to stay at home and will have a remote profiling interview. This day should be regarded as a school day and students are expected to register at 8.25am remotely and complete the work set.   The Form Tutor will let the students know when their Profiling time will be and will send a Google Meet invitation. The students will need to make sure that they are connected to the Google Meet on time as to not delay the rest of the students. These appointments are for the student to meet with their tutor and should be a 1-to-1 conversation. Please ensure students have the opportunity to speak openly by providing them a private space for this wherever possible. Students should be appropriately dressed and have their cameras on and backgrounds blurred. 

Year 9 Year 9 students will come into school for the full day as normal. They will spend the day on Work Related Learning activities. The tutor will let the students know when and where their profiling is due to take place. 

Year 10 Year 10 students will come into school for the full day as usual. They will spend the day taking part in various activities and should regard this as a normal school day, wearing correct uniform and bringing their pencil case and a reading book.  

Sixth Form. Please see the email sent to you regarding timings

For those students coming into school, the day should be regarded as a normal school day and students should wear correct uniform and bring their pencil case and a reading book.  The canteen will be open for lunch as normal, along with the library which will close as normal at 5pm. 

Kendrick-Reading School Air Ambulance Charity Concert 2026: Friday 6th March 2026 at 6.30pm

Our entirely student-led joint charity concert, supporting the Thames Valley Air Ambulance (TVAA) will feature a range of large ensembles, small groups and soloists, performing popular hits such as Runaway Baby to jazz standards like Just the Two of Us and choral masterpieces such as Elaine Hagenberg’s Music of Stillness. All proceeds will go to TVAA to support their lifesaving work across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. We expect the concert to finish at approximately 8:30pm.

For over a decade, this concert has supported TVAA inspired by the rescue of Toby Darrington, a Reading School student involved in a cycling accident. Initiated by his sister Alicia, a student at Kendrick School, the charity concert has grown to become an incredible annual fundraiser, which so many students enjoy participating in. The music is sure to impress and entertain all, and it would be great to see many people there to enjoy the results of our hard work with us.

Refreshments will be available for purchase at the event, as well as raffle tickets for a chance to win some amazing prizes. We encourage attendees to bring card for donations and any purchases.

Please may we remind you that no parking is available on the school site unless you have mobility limitations. If this is the case, then please contact Reception.

Tickets for this event are £8 and can be bought via the secure link here. There is a limit of five tickets per family, so please book early to avoid disappointment. We politely ask for you not to leave ticket requests or queries until the day of the concert.

If you would like tickets for the Air Ambulance Charity Concert on Friday 6th March please complete the order on TryBooking. You will need to bring proof of purchase of your tickets (e.g. via showing your receipt on your phone) to gain entry but some may be available on the door (this cannot be guaranteed). Thank you for your support - your contributions help save lives.

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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. 

Latest News on our Website

Birthday Cards for Amelia

School Calendar

Week commencing 2^nd March - Week A

 

• Monday 2^nd March – National Badminton South Central Round
• Tuesday 3^rd March – KPS Year 10 and 11 Online Drop in
• Wednesday 4^th March – Year 9 Options Evening
• Thursday 5^th March – World Book Day; Trustee Resources Meeting, 4.30pm
• Friday 6^th March – Air Ambulance Concert

Student Careers and Work Experience

Current Opportunities

Vacancies

English Teacher to join us in September 2026. Closing date for applications: 8am Wednesday 25^th February 2026; Interviewing Wednesday 4^th March.

School Caretaker to join us in March 2026. 4.45pm to 9.30pm Monday to Friday. Closing date for applications: 8am Friday 27^th February 2026.
Food Technician to join us in March 2026. 22 hours a week. The successful candidate must be able to work flexibly over the school day, 8.15am to 3.45pm. Closing date for applications: 9am Friday 27^th February 2026.

ParentPay and Evolve Reminders

Latest Reminders for ParentPay and Evolve

Kendrick Parents' Society (KPS)

Weekly News – Friday 27^th February 2026

 

 

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