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    • 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". 

    It is my great pleasure to welcome you to Kendrick School.

    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 been expanding over the last three years, a process that started in September 2020 when an additional 32 students joined the school in Year 7. This year we welcomed the last of the expanded cohorts into Year 7, which completes the expansion, making Kendrick a four-form entry school for Years 7-11. In the admission process, 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. In July 2024, we were awarded the Sutton Trust Fair School Admissions Award at Gold level. This is a great accolade for the school which we are very 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 2024 

    Weekly letter from ms kattirtzi, headteacher

    FRIDAY 4TH APRIL 2025

    I will start the Weekly Update this week with an abundance of articles on the website featuring some of the activities and achievements that have taken place in school this term. Please take time to read them.

    As it is the last day of term, we started our day, as we always do, with a whole school assembly. It is the assembly which rounds off the year of office for our Kendrick Student Leaders and the House year. The student leaders gave their report outlining all that they have done over last year. As well as the many activities they have led and organised across all the committees and house, they also thanked their peers and teachers and staff and graciously spoke about their role in the team and how much they appreciated and enjoyed this special honour they have had. It was lovely to hear these sincere words of gratitude from the students, as well as see the level of maturity they and their fellow students have reached which will assist them in doing the great things they hope to do in the future and in their life beyond Kendrick.

    Also, in the assembly we listened to some beautiful music including the Mass Choir and Chamber Choir who sang the catchy and up-beat song, Another Day of Sun, from the film La La Land, a percussion ensemble - a drum piece played by the newly organised group of percussionists led by Katie in Year 12, and some beautiful piano pieces played by Vanessa, Jodi and Natalie. These pieces featured in the Spring Concert earlier in the week and were extremely impressive along with other solo pieces performed by our Year 13 students, who have, over the years of being at Kendrick, dedicated much time and effort to music and performance. Thank you to them all.

    Another important part of our assembly was hearing a creative writing piece written by Faith in Year 11 and a poem read by heart by Tasnim. Both pieces have been entered into national competitions. Below is Faith’s piece in which she has written an updated version of the Porter’s speech, a character in Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth. In the play, the Porter delivers a comic monologue in which he pretends that he is guarding the gates of hell and describes some of the people who he thinks deserve a place in hell. Students were set the challenge of making a list of habits that might annoy a modern teenage audience, and Faith's speech was the winner, meaning that her words have been performed on stage at the Globe for the entire run of this production. Her jokes about social media, fake activists and AI cheats have had audiences roaring with laughter, and she was even mentioned in a Guardian review, which you can read here. The link to this article will be shared with you next term.

    [Knocking]
    Knock, knock! Who’s there? Ah, here’s the ‘Snap-streak hero’, losing sleep over his 300-day streak but couldn’t be bothered to show up to school on time. “Send a blank screen! Quick!” they yell, as if the apocalypse is coming. Mate, come on in. There’s no streaks in hell - just flames.

    [Knocking]
    Knock, knock! Who’s next? Oh, it’s the ‘fake activist’, shouting about saving the planet on TikTok while holding a £7 iced latte in a cup the size of a water cooler. “Earth first,” he preaches—but you were spotted at the fast-fashion sale last week, weren’t you? Come in, greenwasher! It’s hot enough in here to melt your hashtags.

    [Knocking]
    Knock, knock, knock! Who’s this? Ah, it’s the teacher’s pet turned cheat, bragging about their perfect grades—until we found the AI essay generator open on their laptop. Swore they did it all “on their own,” didn’t they? Well, come on in, cheater; hell’s got no shortcuts, and no bots to bail you out.

    [Knocking]

    Still knocking? What is this, a queue for the new iPhone? Fine! Come in—the Snap addicts, the hypocrites, the cheaters, the influencers with more filters than friends. You’ve scrolled, swiped, and faked your way here. And now? Welcome to hell. Don’t worry—you’ll still get notifications. They just say “LOL, you’re doomed.”

    We also said goodbye to a few members of staff that are leaving us this term: Ms Maitland, English Teacher and Second in Department and Mr Crowther Chemistry Teacher, we wished them well for their future. We finished the assembly with some quiet reflection on this term and all that we have done together and the gratitude we have for being part of our school community. I spoke of the importance of this season for people of faith and the religious festivals and occasions that have been and are to come.  

    With these thoughts in mind, I wish you all a happy and restful holiday.

    Please read further in the Weekly Update.

    Ms Christine Kattirtzi
    Headteacher 

    For the Weekly Update in full please click here

    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 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