A few weeks ago, Year 10 had the pleasure of going on our MFL trips to France and Germany. We went to Tours in France and stayed with our host families, who were extremely welcoming and patient with our French-speaking skills. 

We set off early on Sunday morning, at 6.00 am, and although many of us were tired, we felt extremely excited to be heading on our way.  We arrived at the meeting point in Tours, full of anticipation about meeting our families.  After we had properly introduced ourselves at our homes, we ate our delicious first dinners, glad to be in safe and welcoming hands.  

Last week, Mrs Cooper and Mrs Nicholson took twelve very talented Kendrick students from Years 10, 11 and 12 to visit The Avenue School in Reading to perform some music and songs for the students there as part of Kendrick’s outreach work.  It was a lovely sunny day and our students were able to perform outside as part of a summer festival at The Avenue which the children looked to be thoroughly enjoying.

As part of our initiative to reduce waste, one of our key focusses for the Eco Schools Award, we organised a ‘Grand Clothes Swap’. This allowed students to donate pre-loved, second-hand clothing and accessories to either trade them for others or buy some from an array of clothing at a very low price. 

On Friday, 17th May, we were delighted to receive an online visit from award-winning author Catherine Bruton attended by keen readers and writers in Years 7-9.  Inaya in Year 7, who was already a big fan of Catherine's books, supplied this report:

'The Catherine Bruton online visit was extraordinary and unforgettable! She helped all the people who attended with some brilliant writing tips and ways to develop our story-writing skills. Her books are outstanding and unique because she adds heart-warming meanings.  For example, in her latest story, Bird Boy, the message is that there are hardships in life, but there is always a path to overcome them. Catherine was very enthusiastic and talked about how she loved to share her beneficial morals with the world through her books. She is a true role model for younger readers and writers.

On Friday 10th May, Sithmi in Year 8 was awarded 2nd place at the finals of the British Arts Awards finals in the Intermediate Singing / Musical Theatre category. It was her first time competing at the British Arts Awards, and she sang 'My House' from the play 'Mathilda'.

The British Arts Awards is an annual Dance, Singing and Drama competition where students from dance schools around the country compete for a place in the finals.  Preliminary rounds are judged at a national standard and entrants with Honours marks go through to the regional semi-finals.  

In March this year, seven semi-finals were held around the country and those who scored over 85 were awarded Merit Certificates.  After all the semi-finals were completed, the 4 highest scorers in each category were invited to compete in the finals in London.

As a school, we are fortunate that a good deal of our 147-year history can be traced through the archives we hold in school. Including previous copies of the school magazine, uniforms and photographs, the archive allows us glimpses into the lives of the Kendrick Girls’ from the past. We have recently been able to support local research by providing archival materials. Research being conducted into Reading Old Cemetery by Professor Yota Dimitriadi of the University of Reading led to the realisation that a former Kendrick Head Girl is buried there.