Students from all year groups - and a couple of staff - have been busy memorising poems of their choice, ready to perform them in this year's Poetry by Heart competition. This is a national poetry speaking competition which celebrates the joy of learning and performing poems.  

Many students have taken part in our heats over the last few weeks, performing one pre-1914 and one post-1914 poem. The top twelve performers made it through to our Kendrick grand finals in the Hall, where they had to recite their poems in front of an audience, with marks awarded for voice, understanding, performance and accuracy. We were hugely impressed by the quality of students' performances: they had not just learned these poems word for word, but had really thought deeply about what these poems were about and how they could best communicate this to their audiences. 

On Wednesday 12th March, fifteen Year 11 German students attended an on-campus day at Reading University, organised around the topic of Identity and migration in Germany.

We walked to the University and arrived at around 9:30, just in time for our first talk on Migration in Germany with Professor Schröter, Head of Languages and Cultures, in the Global Study Lounge. We learnt a lot of very interesting information about German identity and history!

Last term, two groups of Geography students at Kendrick were invited to take part in the Innovation Challenge at Reading Boys. 

We were asked to create a solution that balances the need for homes for a growing population with the damage caused to the environment by the construction industry, taking into consideration the current situation and challenges. 

We were delighted to welcome students from primary schools in Years 3,4, 5 & 6 to Kendrick, who are participating in our Widening Horizons programme. The students took part in some wonderful workshops led by our staff along with some of our Year 10, 11 and 12 students.  Some amazing hand embroidery was created in a sewing workshop whilst the topic of our identity and what makes us who we are was considered in a Sociology workshop.  Some beautiful posters were made around the question “What makes me me?”

On Monday 27th January, Kendrick School commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day, and marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in Poland in 1945, remembering the millions of Jews who died in those camps as well as people who have died in other genocides that have taken place since then, in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

Joshika and Lucia, our Year 13 Holocaust Ambassadors, spoke about their visit to Auschwitz last year and shared the lessons they learnt from it.  Here is an account of their trip.            

On Thursday 12th December, Year 12 and 13 German students had the privilege of visiting the British Film Institute (BFI) in London to explore the legacy of East Germany through film. The engaging study day was rounded off with a festive visit to a Christmas market.