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".
To listen to an audio with staff and students talking about Kendrick's history, life at school and what the school means to us all, please click on the link below.
Kendrick Voices
Kendrick School is an 11 to 18 selective girls' school with academy status. With approximately 950 students on roll, it has a well-deserved local and national reputation for excellence.
Our vision at Kendrick is to be a centre of excellence where personal development is valued as highly as academic achievement. We are committed to providing a safe, exciting and inclusive environment where students can be themselves, develop self-confidence and discover their strengths. Kendrick is a place where every student feels a sense of belonging and can grow into a successful young adult while continuing to enjoy the opportunities and experiences of childhood.
We are proud to play an active role within the Reading community and beyond. Through initiatives such as the Widening Horizons Project, which engages students from local primary schools, we strive to make selective education more accessible to girls from all backgrounds.
At Kendrick, students and staff work together with confidence, curiosity and ambition. We challenge one another to think creatively, embrace innovation and pursue excellence in all that we do. We aim to be a school where everyone can lead, inspire and make a positive difference to the lives of girls and young women.
In its most recent Ofsted inspection, Kendrick School was judged to be Outstanding. Inspectors noted that: "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.”
School life at Kendrick is busy and purposeful. Students work hard in lessons and take maximum benefit from every hour that they are taught. Staff value the engagement and motivation of students, as well as unwavering support of parents and carers. As a result, Kendrick is a rewarding place both to learn and to work.
Outside of lessons there is a very full programme of extra and super curricular opportunities including many clubs and societies, trips, challenges and competitions. Music, art, drama and sports all thrive in lessons as well as clubs and the House System gives students the chance to participate in events and competitions with students from other forms and year groups. It is a source of great joy to me how much the older students interact with and encourage the younger students at Kendrick. Kendrick Student Leaders exemplify this spirit through the creative and inclusive initiatives they lead.
As part of Kendrick’s community work, I am particularly proud of the Widening Horizons project that engages students from primary schools and the local area. In July 2024 and again in July 2025, we were awarded the Sutton Trust Fair School Admissions Award (Gold). This recognition reflects our commitment to fair and accessible admissions, and we are immensely proud of this achievement.
Whatever your connection with Kendrick School, I hope your experience is a positive one and that you see the same joy of learning, sense of purpose and spirit of community that I experience every day. Kendrick is truly a very special place to learn, work and grow.
Mr Nicholas Simmonds
Headteacher
September 2026
Weekly UPDATE - FRIDAY 2nd OctobER 2026
Please click here for previous weekly updates.
Letter from Mr Simmonds, Headteacher
This week at Kendrick we have been celebrating National Poetry Day, and I am keeping my update extra short to give you every chance to read the rest of the weekly update and especially Mr Dilley’s report and Kendrick’s Miracle Fair poem.
I am delighted by the number and popularity of the clubs and societies running in school, and I am especially grateful to all the staff and students that run these activities that enrich the lives of so many students. There are now 61 clubs up and running in the school, all listed on the school’s website in the Extra Curricular section.
I spent two days this week working in my capacity as an Ofsted Inspector and had the great privilege of spending time in another school. I always bring back from these visits fresh ideas and insights, but it is great to be back at Kendrick after a couple of days away.
I hope everyone has had as varied and exciting a week as I have had.
Dum Spiro Spero.
Mr Nicholas Simmonds
Headteacher
National Poetry Day and Kendrick’s Miracle Fair Poem
National Poetry Day took place on Thursday, and we marked this with an online assembly led by Mr Dilley, Head of English. Picking up on this year's theme of wonder, the assembly explored the Polish Nobel-prize-winning poet Wisława Szymborska whose poems often encourage us to pay attention to the small but wonderful things in the world around us. The assembly featured two A Level Further Maths students reading Szymborska's poem about the number Pi, and a video of students around the school (including some students reading a poem while playing Twister!) reading her poem 'Miracle Fair' in which she describes lots of everyday miracles that we can often take for granted. Inspired by this poem, students and staff were invited to contribute to our own 'Miracle Fair' poem by sharing examples of everyday miracles they are grateful for. We received so many responses that the full poem runs to five pages, but you can read a shorter version of our poem below. – Mr Stephen Dilley
Kendrick’s Miracle Fair after Wislawa Szymborska by the staff and students of Kendrick School
an alarm of feathers, sweetly waking us up,
indifferent to whether or not we are ready for the new day.
A miracle, standard-issue:
the way that steam rises from your morning tea,
like a plume of whispered promises
A miracle, off the record:
hearing the birds chirp every morning on the way to school
and feeling alive when I hear them.
Just another miracle going about its business:
through my bus window,
I see gentle pink rays of sunshine
peeking through purple clouds as it rises,
smeared across the sky like paint.
A pocket-sized miracle, easily mislaid:
how music can change my mood within five seconds.
A miracle, easily mistaken for background noise:
seeing my family and friends every day.
Disguised as routine, a modest miracle:
the greenery outside with birds singing
and squirrels collecting acorns.
A miracle caught out of the corner of your eye:
a young blackbird leaves the nest,
as though leaving were nothing much at all.
The air holds it, and the sky becomes possible.
Somehow, the small bird is flying.
Nothing short of a miracle, technically:
that each of us is a unique expression of genetic code
from an unbroken chain of life spanning billions of years,
connecting us to the earliest life forms on Earth.
Three miracles for the price of one:
every day, a new creature is born,
every day, a child will laugh
and every day, a new lesson is learnt.
An accidental miracle, caught off guard:
the sunlight sidling through the trees,
filling me with quiet hope.
A miracle, given half a chance:
I wake up every morning tired,
but go to sleep wishing I could repeat the day again.
A miracle working the late shift:
closing our eyes in a noisy world,
to retreat into the safe kingdoms of our imagination,
where every memory and quiet hope is kept,
waiting for us to visit.
The miracle of miracles:
that our hearts keep beating,
even as we close our eyes
and dream of places far from here
Last but not least:
waking up the next day -
tomorrow is not guaranteed.
School Notices
Whitley Park Food Cupboard
Thank you to everyone who has generously donated to our food bank collection – we have received over 150 donations so far, but there is still time for people to bring in more. We would be particularly grateful for donations of:
- tins of sweetcorn and chopped tomatoes
- pasta sauces
- breakfast cereal
- bake-at-home bread rolls
- toilet roll, shampoo, soap and toothpaste
- laundry tablets
Please can all donations be brought to one of our collection points (outside the Library or the vestibule in Main School) by Friday 9th October. It is also possible to donate money via ParentPay.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding at Kendrick School
Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport. Find out from the NSPCC what you can do to make a difference, from choosing safe clubs and activities, to supporting your child in a positive way.
Mental Health and Wellbeing
Mental Health and Wellbeing at Kendrick School
Self Care – Sport
Reading’s SEND Local Offer. The SEND Local Offer is here to help you find information about local services, support, activities and events for children and young people aged 0 - 25 years who have special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).
School Fund
Please donate to our School Fund here. You can make one-off payments through your ParentPay account or complete a standing order form for more regular payments. If you are a UK taxpayer, please ensure you also complete a Gift Aid Form.
A school fund is maintained by voluntary contributions from the parents/carers of students. Its purpose is to provide an additional source of funding for the provision of facilities and educational resources for the benefit of students. We use our School Fund to support so many activities in and out of school that have now become essential to school life.
Canteen
The Autumn/Winter menu will be shared in due course. Please ensure that you regularly check your child's canteen balance on their ParentPay account and settle any 'overdrafts' quickly. Overdrafts should only be issued on an exceptional basis and not as a regular occurrence.
Week B
Tuesday 6th October – Year 13 Interview Skills
Wednesday 7th October – Senior Maths Challenge; Year 13 Slapton Trip (to 11th October)
Thursday 8th October – Trustee Resources Meeting, 4.30pm
Friday 9th October – KPS Year 7 Movie Night
Student Careers and Work Experience
We will shortly be advertising for an Evening Caretaker and a Science Technician.
ParentPay and Evolve Reminders
Latest Reminders for ParentPay and Evolve
KPS Updates
Please see the latest KPS newsletter 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 2026-2027 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.
As trustees, we are responsible for working with Mr Nicholas Simmonds, 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 – either as a student or the parent of a student.
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 Lisa Hillan, Governance Officer to the Trustee Board lhillan@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 2026