Kendrick Reading

[SunwheretheFareyou]

Does anyone have experience of the school?

Its not a format I am used to being a city school with limited space. The open day was extremely badly organised with little foresight or empathy for the school site.
They said over 1000 parents would come through the doors on the one day they chose to allow us in.
The admittance to the head talks was super strict, limited room for parents, and other talks going on at the same time.
It all struck me as extremely odd - perhaps more a tick box excersie as they rest on laurels rather than actively work to show off the school?

The teachers I spoke too seemed like a very mixed bag with one or two being positively abrasive..some extremely helpful.

Does anyone have DC who go there? Whats the experience like for parents once the dc is in? Its just I felt we were being held at arms length as a nasty necessity that they are above.

I have DDs at Kendrick and like you experienced the hell that was Open Evening - super small site (super small numbers of students), +1000 people wanting to see the school in one afternoon. You don't get a good sense of the school from the Open Evening, it's too much of a scrum.

However, I'm not sure how the school could organise it differently - it takes a huge amount of work (staff and pupils give up their afternoon and evening). I agree that they don't and shouldn't do day time visits - a lack of manpower to run tours and also it's disrupting for the students to be viewed or questioned during the school day. How do you think it could be improved?

Once in, my daughters have been very happy. They enjoy the pace of most subjects, they feel at home with the mix of girls (ethnically, socially and academically). The school has been very supportive and encouraging of students to be "rounded" (not focused just on grades) and happy.

The teachers are a mixed bag, just like with any school there are good ones and bad ones. And as with all state schools, they are equally strapped for cash. But I'm a fan of the Head and her very supportive and sensible approach.

Cecily thank you. Its good to hear some positive words about it and that your dd is enjoying it.

The other schools we have been to and are going to have run /will do open night over at least two nights.

They also, put much more into the presentation of the open day. So if other schools with larger sites, more parking etc can manage it I don't see for one moment why such a popular school with a huge catchment area can't run it over two nights.

They could also have been more accommodating of letting people into the talks.
On our very first open day at Beaconsfield high for instance, we were late to the the heads speech and there was simply no issue letting us in, at the back.
At kendrick it was as though I was naughtily sneaking into parliament for the Queens speech! How dare one even think about interrupting her.

Even the students showing us around said it was a nightmare but that the headmistress said it was fine. But... One girl said... She isn't here's trying to show people around and experiencing how crowded and difficult it is (very astute).

I approached a teacher in the science lab and asked if it was a science, maths school. I know my grammar is odd but I never realised schools had specialisms, someone mentioned it casually to me...ie.. Oh your looking at kendrick is your dd good at maths etc.

She didn't give me a straight answer and sort of looked at me like an alien 👾.

Now I seem the heads address is on the website where she clearly states they specialise in maths and science .

Over all it wasn't awful... The girls were delightful, we got a flavour for what they offer, etc, another school came out worse we toured.. But then two others just came out a million times better in effort.

At one 🚸 the teachers were incredible. Nearly every one of them actually engaged dd, spoke to, got her into the the little tasks.. Every teacher, inspite of busy numbers and more open nights put their all into it.

Anyway I did like it but also felt the drama side was lacking...

Kendrick does not need to sell itself, thousands would apply anyway because it is a grammar school....

The other schools were also grammar we went to, and they made huge efforts to sell themselves in spite of also being excellent schools...

Being the only grammar in Reading, it doesn't really need to sell itself. Where are you from?

Living in the western reaches of Kendrick's catchment it is seen as the holy grail and honestly they could run no open evening at all and hoards of people would apply.

I think it behoves every school to show itself in a favorable light.

I used to work in a London super selective grammar and not surprised at the attitude that similar schools have. We used to have thousands of people coming in for open days and I sometimes had to stay an extra hour to answer questions. Another ‘normal’ but bigger grammar after that, nearly 1800 was the record in one evening. Over the three open mornings and evenings, it could go up to nearly 2500.

Another thing, the specialism used to be a thing and schools received money for those subjects. I don’t think the concept exists anymore apart from the tittle still being there. I did my training a school with Maths specialism, it was the worst Maths department I have been in.

I did my training a school with Maths specialism, it was the worst Maths department I have been in

Huge numbers. I still maintain just two open days would be perfect. Just to ease the pressure on all of us.