2024-25 ANNUAL REPORT FOR CHARITY COMMISSION
SchoolGambia has been active in the development of buildings and maintenance and been working on a succession plan on the academic and management side.
In January 2025 Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education agreed to take over the payment of salaries for the teachers in the school. This has relieved SchoolGambia of an ever increasing bill to pay the salaries, increments and payrises of the twenty teachers. The agreement is that the school can continue with its own management team and chosen Board of Governors and, thereby continue with its methods and principles in running a school that gives equal opportunity to all its pupils, provides individual learnng opportunities and focuses on enquiry and understanding.
SchoolGambia pays a full-time ibrarian to organise loans and returns provide clubs for poetry, Scrabble and quiet reading. Supplies of books are generousy donated by Uk supporters and shipped from UK. Over the year there have been a few challenges to overcome and the Trustees are still investing a good deal of time into supporting the Librarian in his task.
In April 2024 the original Nursery School was completely renovated: new roof, ceilings inserted, electricity introduced so that ceiling fans and strip lights could be provided. A new terrace, the length of the building and tiled floors completed the work and the teachers and pupils are pleased with their new light, bright environment.
Also in April a team of sixth form students from our regular school in Kent (Sir Roger Manwood’s) camped in the school for two weeks and worked in the classrooms. Both they and the teachers and pupils of Yalding BCS gain a great deal from sharing lessons, cultures and meals.
The Gambian First Readers scheme is firmly established in practice and our teachers are confident in using it. The pupils are benefitting enormously from reading as individuals and a team of our teachers has been formed to run workshops with two neighbouring schools who are being trained to use the scheme. The intention is to spread the training wider, possibly through the Early Years and Primary teachers’ departments of the Gambia College.
The ILP classes (one to one learning for pupils in Grades 1-3 who need extra support) are proving very effective with some pupils achieving mastery in national exams.
We still need to work on covering the teaching hours set by the government by tightening up on teacher punctuality and adherence to
time-tables. We particularly need to adopt a stricter policy on dropping litter. Despite some sensitising, provision of bins and a teacher i/c of the environment, the habit of throwing litter on the ground (by teachers and pupils) is proving difficult to alter. The consequence is not only a dirty and untidy environment but far too much time wasted in picking up the litter at the end of break or beginning of school and this wastes valuable lesson time.
The movement towards handing over responsibility to the school management team is working well and we are also working on a succession plan for the retiring head teacher, deputy head/head of the nursery and one classroom teacher – all of whom are coming up for retirement.
| Charity Name | No (if any) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SchoolGambia | ||||||
| Receipts andpayments accounts | ments accounts | CC16a | ||||
| For the period from ~~ee~~ |
Period start date 01/06/2024 ~~ee~~ |
To | Period end date 31/05/2025 ~~ee~~ |
| Section A Receipts and payments | Section A Receipts and payments | Section A Receipts and payments | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds |
Endowment funds |
Total funds | Last year | |||||||
| to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | ||||||
| A1 Receipts | |||||||||||
| Donations and other income | 4 431 | 4 431 | - | 4 431 | 27 408 | ||||||
| Sponsorships | 19 697 | 19 697 | - | - | 19 697 | 11 038 | |||||
| Fundraising | 1 892 | 1 892 | - | - | 1 892 | 13 084 | |||||
| Deposit Account Interest | 2 078 | 2 078 | - | - | 2 078 | 1 687 | |||||
| Mini Bus | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Other | 1 323 | 1 323 | - | 1 323 | 1 710 | ||||||
| Travel Refund | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Cancelled cheques | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||
| Gift Aid Reclaim | 1 976 | 1 976 | - | - | 1 976 | 2 111 | |||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) |
31 397 | 31 397 | - | - | 31 397 | 57 038 | |||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). - - - - - - - - - Sub total - - - - - Total receipts 31 397 - - 31 397 57 038 ~~——————~~ |
|||||||||||
| A3 Payments | |||||||||||
| Other | 670 | 670 | - | - | 670 | ||||||
| Christmas Cards | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||
| Transfer to Gambia - salries and expenses | |||||||||||
| 19 000 | 19 000 | - | - | 19 000 | 17 562 | ||||||
| Travel Costs | - | - | - | 1 350 | |||||||
| Bank Charges | 154 | 154 | - | - | 154 | 185 | |||||
| Goods to the Gambia | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||
| Event Costs | 265 | 265 | - | - | 265 | 8 198 | |||||
| Printingand Advertising | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||
| Fundraising Expenses | 629 | - | - | 629 | 404 | ||||||
| Insurance | 304 | 304 | - | - | 304 | 272 | |||||
| Commission for Fundraising | - | - | - | 2 571 |
- Sub total [ 21 022 ] - - 21 022 30 542 A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) - - - - - - - - Sub total [ - ] - - - - ~~—~~ Total payments ~~—————~~ 21 022 - - 21 022 30 542 Net of receipts/(payments) 10 374 - - 10 374 26 496 A5 Transfers between funds - - - - - A6 Cash funds last year end 98 067 14 737 - 112 804 - ~~——————~~
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
1
Cash funds this year end 108 441
14 737
- 123 178
26 496
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Categories B5 Liabilities B3 Investment assets B2 Other monetary assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B1 Cash funds |
Details Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Bank Accounts Unpresented cheque Details Details Details |
Unrestricted funds to nearest £ 108 441 - - 108 441 OK Unrestricted funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Fund to which asset belongs Fund to which liability relates |
Restricted funds to nearest £ 14 737 - - 14 737 OK Restricted funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Cost (optional) - - - - - Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - Amount due (optional) - - - - |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| OK | ||||
| Endowment funds to nearest £ |
||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| Current value (optional) |
||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| Current value (optional) |
||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| When due (optional) |
||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - |
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
2
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees
| - | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Signature | Name | Date of approval |
|||
| TonyDiMarco | |||||
CCXX R3 accounts (SS)
3
Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
Report to the trustees Charity Name On accounts for the year Charity no ended (if any) Set out on pages (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended DD / MM / YYYY .
Responsibilities and As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the basis of report accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent [The charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 and I am qualified to examiner's statement undertake the examination by being a qualified member of [insert name of applicable listed body]]. Delete [ ] if not applicable.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below *) which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
-
the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
-
the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
-
the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
- Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.
Signed: Date: Name:
Relevant professional qualification(s) or body
Oct 2018
1
IER
(if any):
Address:
Section B Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .
Oct 2018
2
IER