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".
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 19TH dECEMBER 2O25
Friday 19th December 2025
Letter from Ms Kattirtzi, Headteacher
We finish term today and I know that everyone in the school community is ready for a break. Finishing quite close to Christmas means we have more days after the festive period returning to school on Monday 5th January for staff, and Tuesday 6th January for students.
Articles on the website this week are here, please take some time to read them and perhaps peruse the other articles that highlight school life this term.
Amnesty's International's Write for Rights Campaign
Year 10 Pantomime Performances
The Christmas Concert was the finale event of this term and in our usual style, Year 7, finished the concert with their Christmas song, Feliz Navidad by Jose Feliciano, which was wonderful! There were many new parents who were attending a Kendrick concert for the first time and delighted to see and hear the talent and ability of our students. I hope everyone who came to the concert enjoyed it and the parents of younger students can begin to imagine what their child will be able to do in future Kendrick concerts as they grow older and more mature in their music abilities and confidence. As always thank you to our staff Mrs Cooper, Mrs Rohweder, Miss Rodrigues and Mr Dilley for preparing and organising such a super concert.
We finished the term altogether in a whole school assembly at the end of the day. We reflected on the term and the work and activities that students and staff have been part of, and we listened to some lovely music. As well as Year 7’s Christmas song, we were treated to the professional performance of Olivia, a Year 12 gifted Harpist who played a piece she performed earlier in the year, 'Etude de Concert in E flat minor' by Felix Godefroid. We also listened to some poems and contributions from staff, Mr Dilley, Head of English and Mr Hodge, Head of Science. I always appreciate the contributions of our staff to everything they do in school and speaking to the whole school about important themes that affect all of us, can be a very powerful way to communicate with our students. Mr Dilley spoke about the theme of Empathy and Mr Hodge about the theme of Forgiveness; both closely related to the Christmas story. We also heard reports from students from the Kendrick Student Leadership Teams, as well as contributions from a Year 11LW who delivered an impressive assembly to their cohort only yesterday, charting what has happened in 2025. Finally, I concluded the assembly with some moments of reflection considering this time of year and how it can be a time of fun, presents and parties for some, but it can also be a time of great sadness and loneliness for many people who may be on their own or without a loved one at this time of the year.
The Christmas story is the reason why we have this holiday. The messages from it are universal and relevant to us all. In his usual way Mr Hodge explained the Christmas in one of his carefully thought through, funny yet serious, videos which we asked staff and students to watch this week. In the busyness of the week, perhaps it has not been watched by all. So, I ask parents, students and staff who may not have seen it yet, to watch it over this holiday. It can be found here on our website. It takes 13 mins to watch the video and is worth your time and thoughtful consideration.
My thanks to everyone in the Kendrick Community: staff, students, parents, KPS and Trustees for your hard work and efforts this academic year so far. Your support of us enables us to be the exceptional school we are. In the midst of terrible things happening around us: the war in Ukraine, continued conflict in the Middle East and elsewhere and the terrible tragedy of the killings of innocent Jewish people on Bondi Beach in the middle of their Chanukah celebrations, the Jewish Festival of Light, it is hard to make sense of the world. So, as this season suggests let’s think of themes of peace, reconciliation, forgiveness as conveyed in the Christmas story and try to have a peaceful and relaxing and holiday. I look forward to welcoming everyone back in January 2026 to a new term and year.
I will finish again with a poem we listened to in our assembly today.
SOMETIMES by Sheenagh Pugh
Sometimes things don’t go, after all,
from bad to worse. Some years, muscadel
faces down frost; green thrives; the crops don’t fail.
Sometimes a man aims high, and all goes well.
A people sometimes will step back from war,
elect an honest man, decide they care
enough, that they can’t leave some stranger poor.
Some men become what they were born for.
Sometimes our best intentions do not go
amiss; sometimes we do as we meant to.
The sun will sometimes melt a field of sorrow
that seemed hard frozen; may it happen for you.
Ms Christine Kattirtzi
Headteacher
School Notices
Kendrick School Webinar Series - Teenagers and Social Media Risk
We are pleased to announce the launch of the first episode of the Kendrick School Webinar Series. This series aims to inform, support, and strengthen understanding between students, school, and parents by exploring shared perspectives and addressing topics that can sometimes feel challenging. Our hope is that these webinars will foster greater insight, mutual support, and more open dialogue within our school community.
The webinars will run throughout the course of the year, with each session lasting approximately 30 minutes, allowing families to engage with the content in a flexible and accessible way.
KSWS Episode 1: Teenagers and Social Media – Risks, Realities and Relationships is now live and can be accessed at any time via the link below:
KSWS - Episode 1: Teenagers and Social Media
We hope you find this webinar informative and engaging. Should you have any feedback or questions, please do not hesitate to contact shyde@kendrick.reading.sch.uk.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding at Kendrick School
Avenues of Support for the Christmas Holidays
KSWS - Episode 1: Teenagers and Social Media
Wellbeing
Mental Health and Wellbeing at Kendrick School
Christmas and Mental Health
You are not alone drop in for January 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.
Amnesty's International's Write for Rights Campaign
Year 10 Pantomime Performances
Week commencing 5th January 2026
Anti-Bullying Week
- Monday 5th January - INSET day.
- Tuesday 6th January - Start of Term 3, 8.25am; Year 11 Mocks
- Thursday 8th January - Year 12 Geography Trip
- Saturday 10th January - KPS Pre-Loved Uniform Shop
Student Careers and Work Experience
We have a vacancy for a School Caretaker to join us in January 2026. The role will involve working Monday to Friday, in the evenings. More details will be available in January.
ParentPay and Evolve Reminders
Reminders on Friday 19th December 2025
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