Though I did sometimes indulge in the fantasy of acting and the fun perks that came with it, I’d never seriously considered acting in an actual project. It was my brother (now a drama school student) who was aiming for Hollywood, so I would sometimes help him tape his auditions and read lines for him. Consequently, my mum was part of many audition forums online where they’d send out open casting calls. It was on a whim and “just for fun” that I decided to sign up for an audition that fitted my description and, by a stroke of luck, I managed to land the role.

You can read their poems below – many congratulations to all students who entered this competition! 

Mr Dilley – Subject Leader of English

The evening started off with a speech from a special visitor, Mrs Kaur, who talked to us about Sikhism and what her faith means to her. This was followed by a speech from Mrs Mohamed, who spoke to us about her journey in Islam, and about how her faith has grown over the course of her life. Some Muslim sixth form students then spoke about what their faith means to them, touching on the five pillars of Islam and reflecting on the similarities between the Muslim and Sikh faiths.

The topics for debate were assigned and released just one week before the event, and so it was a race against time for all schools to put together a debate team, research, gather evidence, build counterarguments and prepare for the day.  

We had six talks: abolitionism, celebrity culture and the media, representations of female crime, exam skills, wealth disparity and its effects on childhood, and gender, feminism and the family.

Amnesty International is a global movement which is independent of any government or political party, and each year, they identify people from around the world whose human rights have been violated, and ask their supporters to write two types of letters: messages of solidarity and support to those who have been affected, and appeal letters to governments. 

To prepare for this exciting event, we attended preparation sessions at lunchtime with our groups. Outside of school, we did background research on the countries we were representing, to find out about their contributions to climate change and what they are doing to fight climate change. We also prepared an opening statement to present at the beginning of the conference and created PowerPoint slides to demonstrate how our school is being eco-friendly.

That beach holds a special place in my heart. My first experience of the vastness of the ocean mesmerised me, and it continued to do so every time we returned. Our best pastime was to dip our feet in the cold sea and play with the waves. 

We are incredibly proud to say that there have been students past and present involved in this year's set of programmes.  

This year’s challenge also included a short essay competition on the theme of remilitarisation for participants who had reached the top level – I was in third place in this competition and in the challenge overall.

UK-German Connection is an organisation funded by the German and UK governments to foster a closer connection between the youth of these countries, offering intercultural opportunities, and facilitating connections between schools, youth groups and young people themselves in both countries.

Despite having graduated from Kendrick School in 2021, I was fortunate to receive a travel grant of £500 from the Kendrick Trustees, which I was very grateful for. 

The students enjoyed taster sessions in computer coding and maths; and also took part in a solar system experiment and a flame test in science; and a positive role model task in the library. The second day saw students discovering their way around the school in an orienteering session, and also enjoying some Team Building Skills Games and a session entitled “What Makes Me Me?” 

We acknowledge and appreciate the hard work that all the students have done in their studies over the last two years. Throughout this time, our students have demonstrated resilience, determination and focus, working closely and collaboratively with their teachers and staff.

As always, I would like to thank the teachers and staff, trustees and parents for their support, encouragement and dedication to Kendrick School which has contributed to the results we have achieved again this year.

Our very best wishes to all our students who are planning and preparing for the next stage in their educational ambitions and plans. We thank them for everything they have done for Kendrick and wish them well for the future.

Christine Kattirtzi
Headteacher
21st August 2025

I wanted to do something different, so I decided to do a riddle. I chose 'a smile' as the answer to it because it is universal and understood by everyone regardless of what language they speak.

There were fantastic student-led dance workshops, our stunning Summer Concert including our Y9 Choir, excellent pop-up drama performances, the magnificent anthology launch of “Movement” and our exquisite Harp and Percussion Performer Series, which catered for intermediate and advanced students in and around Reading.

Ten teams of Year 12 Chemistry students from Kendrick participated in the first round of the competition.  This year’s challenge saw students step into the shoes of professional analytical chemists, working alongside the Department of Housing to assess the safety of a former industrial site for residential development. Each team was provided with soil and waste heap samples to analyse, to determine whether the land was suitable for building and how any potential hazards could be mitigated.

This will include three masterclass sessions for both harpists and percussionists, followed by separate harp and percussion ensembles for all attendees. It culminates in a short concert in which we hear from our professionals, masterclass students and harp and percussion ensembles. Family and friends may also attend this concert for free. 

This event is for students of grade 4+ standard and is free to all Kendrick students (you still need to sign up) and only £5 for students in the local area. Music for the harp and percussion ensembles will be sent ahead of time, so please book early to ensure you have enough time to practise. We have a limit of up to three masterclass spaces, so please contact Mrs Cooper – ccooper@kendrick.reading.sch.uk for more information if you’re interested in this.