FRIDAY 29TH NOVEMBER 2024

It is wonderful to receive positive feedback about our students, particularly from members of the general public. On Wednesday this week Miss Hyde and several other members of staff took 77 GCSE Drama students to the New Theatre Oxford to see a production of Dear Evan Hanson, a show which is part of their GCSE Component 3 course. Sat in front of our students in the theatre were a couple who were clearly impressed by the engagement and behaviour of the students and wrote the following email to me:

 Dear Ms Christine Kattirtzi

This afternoon (27.11.24), my husband and I attended the matinée performance of Dear Evan Hansen in Oxford.  We are both retired teachers.  The performance itself had lots of school children attending.  We were sat directly in front of the group of girls from your School. 

Firstly, I would like to praise your members of staff for their excellent organisation and for their consideration for members of the general public.  They are a real credit to you.  Secondly, even more praise goes to the pupils.  They were polite, considerate and well-behaved.  Moreover, we feel that their presence enhanced our enjoyment of the performance.  Their enthusiasm and appreciation of the actors was heartfelt and contagious. 

Please take the time and make the effort to praise all parties involved and we wish the girls all well in their future studies.

Your sincerely

I would like to thank this couple for their time and effort in getting in touch with us and sharing their observations and also thank my colleagues and students for making such a good impression of themselves and their school on this trip.

Another example of exceptional presentation and engagement from our students has been the recent Assemblies students in KS3 and KS4 have given. On topics wide ranging and interesting, each form is required to present an assembly that has some thought, meaning and is topical and of interest to their peers. The assemblies so far this term have included: the history and significance of the Paralympic Games, portrayal of women in Disney films, the Pink Tax and an in-depth analysis of the American Presidential Election earlier this month. As you can see, these assemblies are on topics of interest and relevance to everyone. Elsewhere the Curriculum and Current Affairs Committee has been discussing the impact on university students of the increase in fees.

Last week I mentioned the Year 12 Work Experience initiative that we launched for our Year 12 students for June 2025. On Wednesday evening we had an online meeting with Year 12 parents and presented them with the information we gave the students the previous week. Over 50 parents joined us which was most pleasing and indicated to me the support we will receive from parents on this project. All parents will receive a letter from me early next week asking to support the work experience initiative by offering a work experience placement at their workplace if they can. The dates again are Monday 9th June -Thursday 12th June 2025. Students have been asked to try to find their own placement but if our parents offer one or two or more places from the company they work for, this will help provide placements for everyone.

Finally, for the last few months we have been working on a new website for the school and I am happy to announce that on Monday 2nd December our new website will go live. I am told that the transition will be seamless, and all the content will transfer magically from the old website to the new. There will be some changes to the look and function qualities of the website, which will make it more visually pleasing and easier to navigate. We have taken the opportunity to slim down the content and archive very old news items and information. All the photographs are of current students during a school day in May 2024 which I am sure parents and students will be eager to look at.

Please read further into the update.

Wishing everyone a restful weekend.

Ms Christine Kattirtzi
Headteacher

For the Weekly Update in full please click here

On behalf of the trustee body, I would like to welcome everyone to the 2024-2025 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.

I have recently taken over as Chair of the trustee board (formerly the governing body) and would like to thank my predecessor, Keith Miller, for the support he has given to Kendrick.

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 Jackie Gray, Clerk to the Trustee Board jgray@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 2024