Kendrick School
 | |
| Established | Refounded 1877 |
|---|---|
| Type |
Grammar school Academy |
| Headteacher | Ms Christine Kattirtzi |
| Location |
London Road Reading Berkshire RG1 5BN England |
| DfE number | 870/5413 |
| DfE URN | 136448 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports Pre-academy reports |
| Students | 690 |
| Gender | Girls |
| Ages | 11–18 |
| Houses | Cedars, Palmer, Sidmouth |
| Website | www.kendrick.reading.sch.uk |
Kendrick School is a selective girls' grammar school situated in the centre of Reading, Berkshire, UK. In 2010 Kendrick became an Academy.
History
The school is named after John Kendrick, a Reading cloth merchant who died in 1624. John Kendrick left the then substantial charitable bequest of £12,500 to the towns of Reading and Newbury to provide employment and education for the poor. Initially this was used to provide a house of industry, or workhouse, called The Oracle, a name that was revived for the Oracle shopping mall which now occupies the site.[1]
In later years the funds left by Kendrick were mismanaged and subject to legal challenge. In the 1870s this was resolved, and the remaining bequest used to found Kendrick Girls School, along with the Kendrick Boys School that was later to merge with Reading School. An oil painting of John Kendrick, rescued from the Oracle workhouse, hangs in the hall of Kendrick Girls School. The caption reads "John Kendrick, founder of this workhouse".[1]
Kendrick Girls School was founded in 1877 and occupied Watlington House in Watlington Street for the first 50 years of its life. In 1927 the school moved to its current site, situated on the corner of Sidmouth Street and London Road.[2][3][4] The building is a Grade II listed building.[5]
Currently the Headmistress of Kendrick Girls is Ms Christine Kattirtzi. She replaced Mrs Marsha Elms at the end of the Spring Term 2012.
Academic performance
Pupils are selected on the basis of academic ability via an admissions test at age 11 (although entry is possible in other years too). As a state-funded school, there are no fees; so it is severely over-subscribed with over seven applicants per place.
Since national league tables were introduced, Kendrick has been among the top schools in the country. For the last two years, it has ranked first nationally for GCSEs in state schools. The prestigious title of Sunday Times School of the Year, acknowledging its consistent high achievement in all areas.
The OFSTED inspection report states:
- "This is a school of high quality. Strict leadership is effective in helping pupils to aspire to excellence as scholars and as individuals. Pupils attain high standards. The quality of teaching is outstanding. The school provides good value for money".
Uniform
Kendrick's uniform consists:
SKIRT: Mid-grey classic style skirt that is either straight or pleated. Skirts should not be tight, slit, or made of stretch fabric. Our recommended supplier is Hawkinsport. The hem of the skirt should be no more than 5 cm above the knee.
TROUSERS: Plain, black classic style trousers. These should be straight legged and not a tight, ‘bootleg’, ’drainpipe’ or ‘jeans’ style nor should they be ‘low-rise’. There should be no large belts or buckles. Trousers should not be made out of a denim fabric or leather.
BLOUSE: Plain white, long or short sleeved blouse with reveres collar. The blouse should be tucked into the waistband when worn under a sweatshirt so that it is not visible below it. A white tee-shirt or top may be worn under the blouse but not coloured tee-shirts or bras that would show through the blouse. Found in Hawkinsport.
SWEATSHIRT: Sweatshirt in “Kendrick red” with embroidered school crest.
SHOES: Black shoes of sensible design with low heels. No trainers, flat pumps, stilettos or platform shoes.
TIGHTS AND SOCKS: Tights – black, grey or flesh coloured. Socks – plain black, grey or white.
House System
The Kendrick House system consists of three houses; Cedars, Sidmouth and Palmer House. Each house is assigned a colour, as follows: Cedars - blue, Sidmouth - yellow and Palmer - green. The girls represent their houses in events such as Sports Day, House Scrabble, House Music, House Chess, Junior House Music and House Drama. House Points are awarded throughout the year with the winning house receiving the House Cup. Heads of Houses are elected from girls in the Lower Sixth Form, Year 12, to take over until mid-Year 13. The Heads of Houses are members of the Head Girl Team. The current Head Girl is Emily Page(elected in 2013) replacing the former Head Girl Sarah Houlton.
Head Girl Team of 2012: Sarah Houlton, Nikita Alexander, Judith Taylor, Helen Bowell, Sophie Tripp, Vaishnavi Dandavate, Lauren Cairns & Emily Aldridge.
Head Girl Team of 2013: Emily Page, Manon Wallace, Stephanie Yeung, Rachel Wiles, Gabrielle McGuinness, Xiomara Bovell, Anna Winston, Millie Foy & Miki Ponjevic.
The winner of the 2012 House Cup was Sidmouth.
Notable former pupils
- Beryl Cook, artist
- Janet Reger, lingerie designer
- Rosi Sexton, world champion cage fighter
- Yasmina Siadatan, winner of the BBC television series, The Apprentice in 2009.[6]
- Claire Taylor, England cricketer
- Jessica Swale, theatre director and playwright
See also
- The Abbey School, a local girls independent school
- Reading School, a local boys grammar school
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "John Kendrick (1573-1624)". Royal Berkshire History. Nash Ford Publishing. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
- ↑ "A Brief History of Watlington House". Trustees of Watlington House. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
- ↑ Phillips, Daphne (1980). The Story of Reading. Countryside Books. p. 138. ISBN 0-905392-07-8.
- ↑ Phillips, Daphne (1980). The Story of Reading. Countryside Books. p. 151. ISBN 0-905392-07-8.
- ↑ "Kendrick Girls' School 41, Reading". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
- ↑ "Yasmina, you're hired!". BBC Berkshire (BBC). 8 June 2009. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
External links
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Coordinates: 51°27′06″N 0°57′54″W / 51.45167°N 0.96500°W