Recently, Year 12 students participated in the Geography Innovation Challenge with Reading School. It was a close competition, but our two teams came out at the top, being awarded 1^st and 2^nd place.  The task was to find an innovative solution to the prevalent microplastic problem in our oceans.

The competition was between four groups of Year 12 students from Reading School and Kendrick School. Each team created and did a fifteen-minute presentation, that included research into microplastic sources and challenges, our chosen solution, and considerations of scalability and funding for the solution. This was followed by fifteen minutes of answering challenging questions.

This year’s annual student-led Air Ambulance Charity Concert was a huge success; students from all year groups and both schools came together to produce harmonious sounds as part of a variety of talented ensembles.  This concert was started as an act of gratitude after the Air Ambulance saved a student’s life, and has been taking place for over a decade, surviving tough circumstances like the pandemic.

Berkshire Music Trust, in partnership with Windsor Festival and Bradfield College, held a competition for singers to showcase their talent and win prizes alongside others between the ages of 10-18.  In this competition there are three categories; Folk, Musical Theatre and Classical, and I participated in the Folk category.

The final was held at The Old Court in Windsor as part of the Windsor Festival. I chose to sing a Traditional Irish Folk song, ‘Tir Na Nog’ which means "Land of the Young".

I am proud to say that I was awarded winner of the Folk Category.

Designed to challenge and inspire, the UK Chemistry Olympiad (UKChO) is a unique opportunity for students to push themselves further and excel in the field of chemistry, within and outside the curriculum.  

On 26th January, we took part in the prestigious Royal Society of Chemistry Olympiad 2024. The  Olympiad gives students the opportunity to develop critical problem-solving skills, apply their knowledge to unfamiliar scenarios, offering valuable insights into real-world chemistry applications.  

Recently, all of Year 11 went on a trip to the Hexagon to attend Poetry Live, which as Mrs Munns described it, is the Poets’ Oscars!  We listened to a wide range of poets, some of which were from our specification and some of which were not - either way, it was fascinating to hear them.

We listened to Carol Ann Duffy talk about the ideas behind her poems ‘Valentine’, ‘War Photographer’ and ‘Before You Were Mine’. She talked about how significant the shape of a poem could be, which was a really illuminating view of looking at poetry which we hadn’t really thought about before.

This week is ‘Neurodiversity Celebration Week’, a global initiative that challenges stereotypes and misunderstandings surrounding neurological differences.  At Kendrick, we marked this week by viewing a presentation in form time.  Students have been sent this, along with a video, to look at in their own time, should they wish.  These are also attached below.

The Student Welfare Team also organised a neurodiversity badge making activity during one lunchtime, which proved to be hugely popular.   These are just a few examples of their wonderful creations for you to enjoy.