2021-05-31-accounts

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 May 2021

Review of Progress and Achievement

1. Fund raising: We were unable to do any face to face fund-raising at all due to the Covid restrictions but we had an excellent response to an appeal on line for donations towards our Gambian First readers Scheme. We raised over £1000 towards illustrating and publishing the books professionally.

2. Publicity– we sent out our annual newsletter in August 2020 and since, we have kept interest alive by posting on Facebook but there has been a limited amount of activity to report or share due to the restrictions on travel and problems with the internet connection in The Gambia.

3. Education – the school reopened in October 2020 under limited conditions. The timetable was altered to allow half the class to come in on alternate days. By working on Saturdays, the teachers were able to give all pupils a 3 day week. The focus was on catching up on the time lost since March 2020 when the school closed, and concentrating on numeracy and literacy. It has been a difficult year to ensure that all pupils develop and make up for lost time. There has been no opportunity for home schooling or classes on the internet.

4. In the Nursery School One teacher who has been studying for her certificate in Early Childhood Development qualified in April and so now all our teachers are fully qualified. Three of them have worked in the school for ten years and the Nursery Head has taught with us for nearly twenty years. Our Gambian First Readers scheme is working very well with the older children and the teachers are improving in their understanding of implementing this phonics based individual method.

5. The Lower Basic School - the teacher who we sponsored for his Primary Teachers’ Certificate will qualify at the end of the academic year and return in September 2021 to teach in the school. SchoolGambia has agreed to sponsor a young teacher who has been working with the children needing extra help. She is a graduate of Yalding Basic Cycle School and it is very rewarding to know that she is a capable and enthusiastic trainee teacher. The Grade 5 teacher who we are sponsoring on a part-time Management course is doing very well and our G4 teacher will complete his university degree in computer science at the end of the academic year. Sponsoring these teachers is a worthwhile investment as the school benefits from teachers who develop professionally and the individual teachers are motivated to extend their skills and share them with the school. Our pupils continue to do well at the annual National Attainment Tests.

6. The Upper Basic School - there are now 2 classes for each year group from Grades 7-9 and despite the restrictions of Covid and the school being closed for six months, the Grade 9 pupils did exceptionally well in their national exams in May 2021. The team who share the management have worked very well together.

7. Our Bursar left in December 2020 and has been replaced by another graduate of the school. She has been employed as the School Secretary so far but is coping well in her new role with the support of the Head Teacher, SMT and one Trustee who is training her on line.

8. Buildings and maintenance– maintenance of classrooms, furniture, the water pump and the solar panels is ongoing. The pump has needed several repairs and this has been possible by communication on WhatsApp. The teacher who has newly been appointed to take care of the pump and the school environment is very diligent and reliable. Plans to refurbish the Nursery in April 2020 are still on pause as is the plan to erect a purpose built library. The Trustees who have been appointed to oversee these building projects hope to return to Farato in early 2022.

9. The Board of Directors supports the Senior Management Team (SMT), together with the Head Teacher. The Board is a team of volunteers from the village, some of whom have been involved with the school since it started in 2000. They have all worked well together to steer the school through the challenges of working under Covid. Cases in The Gambia fluctuated in the rainy season, especially July to September, but fortunately Farato has not suffered. The application for subvention (when the government pay the teachers’ salaries) has been submitted and we await a decision.

10.Volunteers and Visits: we have not been able to visit the school this year. Overall support in UK and smooth running of the school in The Gambia have gone surprisingly well under the circumstances. We look forward to a much more active year in 2021-22.

Charity Name No (if any) SchoolGambia Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the period Period start date Period end date To from 6/1/2020 5/31/2021

Section A Receipts and payments

----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment
Total funds Last year
funds funds funds
to the nearest
to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
£
A1 Receipts
Donations and other income 1,500 5,695 - 7,195 1,048
Sponsorships 13,764 - - 13,764 16,297
Fundraising 2,534 - - 2,534 4,199
Deposit Account Interest 45 - - 45 102
Mini Bus - - - - 12
Other - - - - -
Travel Refund - - - - -
Cancelled cheques - - - - 7
Gift Aid Reclaim 2,245 - - 2,245 2,425
Sub total (Gross income for AR) 20,089 5,695 - 25,784 24,090
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).
- - - -
- - - - -
Sub total [ - ] - - - -
Total receipts 20,089 5,695 - 25,784 24,090
A3 Payments
Other - - - - -
Christmas Cards - - - - 480
Transfer to Gambia - salries and expenses 10,000 - - 10,000 31,000
Travel Costs - - - - -
Bank Charges 237 - - 237 90
Goods to the Gambia 325 - - 325 106
Event Costs 80 - - 80 -
Printing and Advertising - - - - -
Fundraising Expenses - - - - 102
Insurance 248 - - 248 -
Commission for Fundraising 212 - - 212 134
-
Sub total 11,101 - - 11,101 31,912
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
- - - -
- - - -
Sub total - - - - -
Total payments 11,101 - - 11,101 31,912
Net of receipts/(payments) 8,988 5,695 - 14,683 - 7,822
A5 Transfers between funds - - - - -
A6 Cash funds last year end 65,636 4,032 - 69,668 -
Cash funds this year end 74,624 9,727 - 84,351 - 7,822
----- End of picture text -----

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period

			Unrestricted	Restricted Endowment	Restricted Endowment
	Categories	Details	funds	funds funds
B1	Cash funds	to nearest £ Bank Accounts 74,949 Unpresented cheque - 325 - 74,624 Total cash funds		to nearest £ to nearest 9,727 - - 9,727	£ - - - -

	(agree	balances with receipts and payments account(s))	OK	OK		OK
			Unrestricted		Restricted	Endowment
			funds		funds	funds
B2 Other monetary assets	Details		to nearest £ - - - - - -		to nearest £ - - - - - -	to nearest £ - - - - - -
B3 Investment assets	Details		Fund to which asset belongs	Cost (optional) - - - - -		- - - - - Current value (optional)
B4 Assets retained for the	Details		Fund to which asset belongs	Cost (optional) -		- Current value (optional)
charity’s own use					- - - - - - - -	- - - - - - - -
			Fund to which		Amount due	When due
B5 Liabilities	Details		liability relates		- - - - - (optional)	(optional)
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees		Signature	Print	Name		Date of approval

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trnsteesl members of On ac¢ounts for the year ended CharTty no (rf any) Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my e￿￿ninatiOn of the acc￿Unts of the above charty (the Trust.) ft)r the year eTrSed ?1 C>S a&) Responsibilities and basis of rpport As the charitys trustees, you are responsible for preparatton of the accounts in ac0)rdan￿ V￿th the requirements of the Charits Ad 2011 (the Arf). I report in respeci of nTy examinion of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Arx and in ￿Try1ftg oul my examination, I have follovd all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commissic under section 145(5)(b) of the Ac. IndependerfÉ examinerfs statement I have ￿npleted my examination. I CQTffirm that no material matters have me to rrry attention in connection with the examinatiorTrt$tr￿ s¢A99￿￿1¢h gives me cause to believe Uiai in, any material the aeLounting records vHe not kept n ac£ordan¢e wlth section 130 of the Charities Ad; or the accounts did Tr)t accord with the accounting reo)rds' or the accounts did not u)mply th the applicable requirements concerning the fomi and wntent of accounts set out in Ihe Charittes (Accounts and Reports) Regulats"ons 2008 other than any ￿qUirement that the attounts give a %rue and fairf wew which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no cOn￿mS and have Come across no other matters in connection ith the examination to whid) allents.on should be drawn in Ihis report in order to enable a proper understanding of the aoxunts to be ￿aChed. . Please delete tl)e words in the brnckets if theydo not appty. Signed: zoLz Name: C¥LLu cts0KJ￿LO Fi Ll Relevant professional qualifi¢atiorrfs) or body cx& CEWSFI Oct 2018

(rf any): Addrnss: V&L- Ohaos Lfr*JE Section B Disclosure Only comp￿te rf the examiner needs to hTr9hlight material matters of con￿rn (see CC32, Independent examination of ¢harty accounts: direcbons and gubjance for examiner5). Give here brief details of any Items that the examinerwishes to disclose. IER Oct 2018