FRIDAY 28TH MARCH 2025

Joining us in school today are members of the Trustee Board for a strategic discussion day. This is an annual event which enables us to work with our Trustees setting the vision and direction of the school for the next year and beyond. Our focus is often determined by the direction of travel that the Department for Education may set or priorities specifically relevant to our school. This year the programme combines a bit of both. The first part of the day the Trustees will attend assemblies, visit a School Council meeting, attend registration time across the school. Then they will drop into lessons during the first part of period 1, followed by a discussion led by me and Mr Simmonds about the changes proposed by Ofsted regarding the new framework for inspection due this autumn. We are very fortunate at Kendrick to have Mr Simmonds, who is Deputy Headteacher and an experienced Ofsted Inspector, and he will lead and guide our discussions around the new proposed Record Card that Ofsted has proposed to use for inspections. Instead of five judgments there are 10 judgments set against five headings ranging from causing concern to exemplary. Although Ofsted have said that the new framework reflects the views of parents and teachers based on the feedback survey they did last year, many/most teachers and the teaching unions have not responded to the proposed changes quite as enthusiastically as Ofsted would have liked. The process does seem onerous and time consuming although it covers many key areas that are important to assess in schools. Our discussions today will be an opportunity for our Trustees to work with us to shape our development planning which always reflects the headings that Ofsted use to inspect schools.

Another key agenda item of the of the day, again driven by the government’s agenda, is curriculum review, a piece of work launched by the government last autumn when Professor Becky Frances was commissioned to look at the current school curriculum across all key stages and assess whether it is still fit for purpose. As a history teacher for most of my career, one of the topics I enjoyed teaching to A Level students was Education in the 19^th Century in a paper called English Social Conditions 1832- 1914. The focus of this paper and history was how the education system evolved to meet the needs of a fast growing and changing economic and political landscape. The theory we examined was that very rarely does an education system keep out of step with societal change and how education must reflect the needs of the current society. In the 19^th century this meant the growth of education for the people who were not the elites or privileged and followed changes in the extension of the franchise, initially to working men and then women. Interestingly it was in this emerging period of education growth that Kendrick School was founded in 1877, seven years after the First Education Act, 10 years after the Second Reform Act. Today, as I often tell the students, our education system has evolved and changed and still endeavours to meet the needs of a rapidly changing society. Hence, we welcome a review of the curriculum, which we regularly do ourselves, confident that our current provision at Kendrick still meets the needs of our students and society’s needs. We will also look at AI and the use of this tool in education, we will reflect on the racial literacy training we have all undertaken so far, and finally we will discuss the school’s energy strategy under our Climate Action Plan - a packed day!

As always, the school and our students have been very active these last few weeks. On the website there are several articles featuring some key events we have had and celebrated recently.

• International Women’s Day   

• Mock Trial Competition
• German on- campus day at Reading University 
• Geography Innovation Challenge 

In addition, we have had Neurodiversity Week, Comic Relief, AI Safeguarding assemblies, Profiling Day, Poetry by Heart competitions, elected and appointed the new Kendrick Student Leadership Team for 2025-2026 and today an A Level History Conference is taking place in school where we are working with two local schools. Next week, the last week of term, is also very busy with the Spring Concert on Tuesday 1^st April, celebration days for Year 13 and 11, Eid celebrations on Thursday 3^rd April with a Kendrick Parents’ Society run Disco in the evening for Year 7. Friday 4^th April, we end the term in the usual way having a whole school assembly in the morning when we will receive reports from the outgoing Student Leaders, plus a House round-up report and award the House Cup. We will also reflect on the year so far. The day will finish at the normal time of 3.15pm.

Wishing everyone a good weekend and a happy Mothering Sunday for mothers everywhere and others who take on mothering roles in their families and amongst their friends.

Please continue to read the rest of the update for important information.

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