Parents were warmly welcomed to the event by Ms Kattirtzi and listened to talks from senior members of staff and heard how, as a result of the Widening Horizons programme and our outreach work, Kendrick School has for the second year running been awarded the prestigious Sutton Trust Fair Schools Admissions Award at the highest GOLD level.  

The primary school students participated in exciting cookery, bracelet making and book club/reading workshops, led by our staff and members of the Kendrick Student Leadership Team and supported by older Kendrick students.  It was lovely to see their excitement and enthusiasm as they left the workshops, especially the Year 3 students who were already eating the gingerbread cookies they had decorated with our wonderful Head of Food, Mrs Rock!  

One of the parents whose daughter had taken part in the Widening Horizons programme and gone on to join our school community, spoke to the attending parents about their child’s positive experience of Kendrick School and this programme, and gave some helpful tips and advice on making the most of this opportunity. Two other parents whose daughters attended Widening Horizons were also available to answer questions.

Our Inspire Club for Widening Horizons students will start on Tuesday 13th January 2026 and continue during term time on Tuesdays between 4pm to 5pm for the rest of the school year.  Students from Years 3, 4 and 5 will all have opportunities to attend.  Students will also be invited to events in school, and we will be continuing with our Year 5 Book Club, where students are able to borrow books to read at home. 

Year 5 students on the Widening Horizons programme, who would like to take our Admission Test in September 2026 for entry into Year 7 in September 2027, will receive at least 6 familiarisation sessions before the tests and the opportunity to attend a half-day session at Kendrick in the summer holidays.  For the test itself, a score of 5 points lower than the qualifying score will be applied to applicants eligible for the Widening Horizons programme.   Please see our website for more information on eligibility. 

Eligible students can also gain free access to the Atom online learning package via our website at https://atomlearning.com/pupil-premium/kendrick

If your child qualifies for the Widening Horizons programme, and you would like her to take part in this initiative, or you would like to check whether she would be eligible, please email admissions@kendrick.reading.sch.uk

We would like to sincerely thank all the parents and primary school students that attended our launch event, the Widening Horizons parents who spoke so well and with such enthusiasm, and all our wonderful staff, KSLT and students that supported this event.