2023-12-31-accounts

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Annual Report and Financial Statement to December 2023

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Tyume Valley Schools Development Association (TVS) Organisational Details for the year ending December 31[st] 2023

Charity Number	1103909
Registered Address	2 Old Blackfriars Marley Lane Battle TN33 0DQ
Website	www.tvschools.org.uk
Email	[e-mail]
Trustees	Margaret Kiloh Wendy Hodgkinson Stephanie Gallier Claire Davies Gaynor Cobb John Hagestadt Liz Hanks Denise Heggie Jim Lewis Stephen Muggeridge Margaret Woodward	Chair Deputy Chair Secretary Treasurer
Bankers	Barclays Bank
Independent Examiner	Carol Harris Battle Town Council The Almonry High Street Battle TN33 0EA

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INTRODUCTION

TVS was registered in 2004, ten years after the election of the first non-racial democratic government in South Africa. Its founders, Archie Sibeko, Margaret Kiloh and Margaret Woodward were part of the international solidarity movement which helped to achieve the ousting of the apartheid regime. The foundation of TVS was a recognition of the need for continuing international support for South Africans struggling against the enduring inequalities which are the legacy of apartheid.

Our Charitable Objectives

The objects of Tyume Valley Schools Development Association (TVSDA), as set out in its governing document, are to enhance educational opportunities and improve the life chances of children in the remote and impoverished Tyume Valley, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. TVSDA furthers its charitable purposes for the public benefit, by working closely with primary and secondary schools in Tyume Valley AND to provide additional resources, teaching and other learning opportunities.

Our key areas of work are:

• Improving children’s ability to read, write, speak and understand English Language

• Improving children’s understanding of mathematical concepts and ability to work with figures

• Introducing children to basic IT skills and vocabulary

• Involving local teachers, school principals and community members

• Promoting links between Tyume Valley schools and the wider world.

GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing Document

The organisation is a registered charity, registered with the Charity Commission on 25 May 2004. It is governed under its constitution which was adopted in 2004 and subsequently amended in 2016 and 2022.

Organisational Structure

TVS’s Board of Trustees has responsibility for the strategic oversight and financial management of the charity. The Board meets every three months or less, either in person or remotely. There are currently eleven members, including four Officers who undertake responsibility for day-to-day operations. There are no paid staff in the UK, but TVS employs a part time Project Coordinator based in South Africa.

Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees

Trustees may be appointed at the AGM to serve for a period of one year or co-opted by decision of the trustees at any intervening point. All trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no benefit from the charity. Any expenses claimed by trustees are set out in the accounts.

Risk Management

The most significant risk to the charity is that of ensuring sustainable growth. Our supporters and our trustees represent an aging demographic and a number of retirements, including that of the Chair, are expected. The political and economic climate in the UK and South Africa has led to decreased income and increased costs and fundraising has been extremely challenging. The trustees have attempted to mitigate the financial risks by reducing costs in South Africa by finding alternative

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ways of working and not replacing a member of staff. In the UK fundraising consultants have been employed to support the Chair with the aim of increasing grant income and strict budgetary constraints have been introduced.

PUBLIC BENEFIT STATEMENT

The Trustees have had regard to the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance when exercising any powers or duties to which the guidance is relevant. We review our aims, objectives and policies each year and ensure that our and activities remain in line with our stated charitable objectives.

CHAIR’S REPORT

Overview

Organisational capacity has been a major constraint in 2023. All roles continued to be filled by trustees and volunteers with the Chair, Deputy Chair and Secretary taking on duties that in other better funded charities would be undertaken by paid members of staff. This has limited our ability to develop the organisation and has impacted on our activities in South Africa.

Supporters

We have a fixed number of supporters which has been steadily reducing, mainly through old age, illness and death. Communications remain a challenge. We do not have the in-house expertise to update and make best use of our website or Mailchimp database. We have a presence on Just Giving, the Big Give, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram but do not take advantage of what these platforms can offer. Direct communications with supporters by email and Newsletters is limited by the lack of capacity in the organisation to take this on. The 20[th] Anniversary Lunch held in October successfully reconnected with foundation supporters, but this has not so far been capitalised on.

Partners

During the year we maintained contact with the Small International Development Charities Network and reconnected with the SA-UK Trust Network and ACTSA (Action for Southern Africa). Links with the Quaker Africa Interest Group (QUAIG) loosened as QUAIG members’ interests became more focussed on the issue of reparations and less aligned with the TVS mission. Through A4ID (Advocates for International Development) we have been linked with Allen & Overy LLP who are providing assistance with registering a TVS offshoot in South Africa. In South Africa TVS has collaborated with ASSITEJ (the Association of Theatre for Children and Young People), the One Heart Foundation, the Cape Parrot Project and the All-Saints Trust in running workshops and study camps. We have also reinstated a friendly working relationship with the University of Fort Hare.

Challenges

Partnerships and the amount of information and support available online can play a positive role in organisational development but unfortunately the amount of time needed for networking, webinars etc is often not available. Other organisations are subject to the same pressures as TVS and cannot always deliver and political disruption may undermine activity.

Conclusion

Because TVS puts all of the money that it raises into work in South Africa rather than organisational development we once again find ourselves in need of new trustees and volunteers who can provide operational support – particularly in the fields of

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relationship management, fundraising and social media. This should be a major topic for the strategy review to be held in March 2024 and in planning to commemorate South Africa’s 30 Year Anniversary in April 2024.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

2023 proved to be a challenging year. A dip in grant funding in 2022 and 2023 meant that TVS was forced to use its reserves to cover a shortfall in the cost of operations in South Africa. Nevertheless, activities were able to be continued with grants from the Waterloo Foundation and the Solon Foundation, South Africa, and support from the South African Government Social Employment Fund for the short-term remuneration of Learning Support Assistants, Reading Club leaders and other support staff. A combined total of 364 learners was reached through our TechLearn and Fresh Start programmes, Reading Clubs, IT teaching and sponsored study camps.

LSA Training

This year the number of Learning Support Assistants was reduced from 6 to 4 (later increased to 5), these being selected according to their performance in 2022. A considerable amount of effort was put into training, with regular Friday training sessions as well as termly workshops. In the first two terms this included training on The Role of an LSA, Reading for Enjoyment, Basic Excel Formulas and Spreadsheets, Capturing Data, Assessment Training, Mathematical concepts, Teacher Talk Time, Special Educational Needs and Total Physical Response and in Term 3 an outside trainer worked with the TVS Project Coordinator to deliver training on Technical Projector Use, the Value of Power-point for Lesson Planning, the Importance of Mental Health, Performance management and Excel Graphs & statistics. On 10 February training in the use of DBE Readers & Big Books was conducted by the Sustainable Network Development & One Heart Foundation at the Learning Centre and on April 22[nd] our partner ASSITEJ (the Association of Theatre for Children and Young People) ran a workshop for LSAs on storytelling. UK trustees set up a mentoring scheme for LSAs with regular contact using WhatsApp. Challenges

Regular and unpredicted loadshedding had an adverse impact on training requiring the use of electricity and on attempts at using the internet for mentoring.

TechLearn

171 Learners, from 8 Primary Schools were enrolled on the TVS 2023 TechLearn Programme which began on the 6th of February and ran for two terms. Learners attended one computer-based afternoon session at the Learning Centre backed up by two days of in-school support from LSAs. Attendance was high, with a minimal amount of absenteeism (due mostly to seasonal illnesses) occurring. Post Couse tests in English demonstrated an average improvement of 25%. Ranging from a school average low of 13% to 50%. The Maths test results reflect an even greater increase of 34% between the pre-course & post-course tests, with school averages ranging from 27% - 43% for the pre-course tests and from 54% – 82% for the post-course test results.

Challenges

On the technical side, interrupted power supply and power failure (loadshedding) has been disruptive to the technical aspects of the programme. The setting up of laptops, prior to each session was a lengthy and laborious process, requiring the installation of more plug-points and almost a third of the Notebooks could not hold up to the

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demands placed on them by the 2023 TechLearners. On the transport front, high costing taxis proved unreliable with correct pick-up & delivery schedules, delaying start and finishing times.

Fresh Start

The start of the 3[rd] academic term for 2023, coincided with the launch of TVS’s Fresh Start Programme, aimed at improving performance in English and Maths and encouraging teachers to use technology in the classroom. 4 Primary Schools were fitted with a mounted projector and write-on whiteboard, 5 LSAs were assigned to teach 4 days a week at designated schools and were equipped with a laptop for each school. Each school was provided with a lock up resource box, stocked with stationery, teaching aides and resources. Altogether some 100 Grade 4/5 learners were involved in the programme. Post course tests were conducted at all four schools. These showed improvements for most learners with regards to their final results in Maths with school averages increasing from 46% to 70%. There were less marked improvement in English although teachers & principals noted that they had seen general improvements in the learners’ reading and confidence with speaking English.

Challenges

As well as continued loadshedding the introduction of the new programme faced other major challenges. There was a clash between the content of Fresh Start and the requirements of the CAPS English lessons as taught in school. Social abuse affecting Grade 4 learners at one of the Fresh Start schools had an adverse impact on learner concentration and class participation. In another school, teachers would not cooperate with the LSA and in others the principal wanted to use LSAs to teach subjects outside the Fresh Start programme. Also, the move to morning school-based teaching from afternoon Learning Centre sessions meant that although technically LSAs had more face-to-face time with learners this was eaten into by schools focussing on other priorities such as revision and lesson catch-ups before final exams.

ICT

TVS employed two SEF funded facilitators to teach basic computing skills. ICT lessons for 44 Grade 8 & 9 learners were held at Amabhele High School (host of the TVS Learning Centre) on Tuesdays and Fridays. Learners from the intermediate class at Mabandla Primary also made rotational trips to the Learning Centre every Tuesday afternoon.

Reading Clubs

5 TVS community-based Reading Clubs continued to operate during term time and the school holidays, giving children some fun activities to enjoy along with reading books. 120 certificates were produced to hand out to those Reading Club members who had regularly attended Reading Club for the whole of 2023.

Study Camps

TVS partnered with two other organisations to facilitate two outdoor educational camps at Hobbiton during the 4[th] term. First was a Maths Camp, sponsored by the All Saints Trust and facilitated by Andrew Stevens. This camp took place from 29 Oct – 01 November. There were 40 participants on the camp, all from Amabhele High School featuring Grades 8 & 9. The second camp, sponsored by the Cape Parrot Project, included 60 Grade 7 Learners from 4 different Primary schools in the Tyume Valley. This camp took place from the 4[th] – 9[th] December and focussed mostly on outdoor education.

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FUTURE PLANS

Future plans for TVS are set out in our Business Plan but funding difficulties dictate the need to undertake an urgent review of all plans and programmes beyond 2024. A strategic review will take place in March 2024.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period

At the start of the year, we had balances of £25,002 Our total income in 2023 was £38566 compared with £31,230 the previous year. This includes membership, donations and income from grants and events. Expenditure for the year was £45,176, compared with £47,417 in 2022, which includes staffing, rent, IT etc. and all project related costs. The accounts show that TVS ended the year with a deficit of £6,610, compared to £16,187 in 2022. Our year end balances were down to £18,392 from £25,002, at the end of the previous year.

Principal Funding Sources

Our main funding source is our regular supporters who make monthly donations amounting to £9425 a year (plus Gift Aid). These now number 52, down from 55 in 2022. Most supporters pay £5 per month, with a small number paying substantially more. Income from Match Funding of donations via the Big Give, which was previously a major source of funding, has now dried up, and since we lost our charity place at the London Marathon income from sponsored events has been severely reduced. We have been lucky to secure repeat funding from the Solon Foundation, South Africa, and to access some South African Government funding through the Social Employment Fund but attempts to obtain further grant funding have been unsuccessful.

Reserves Policy

The Charity Commission recommendation is that charities should hold reserves representing around 3 months operating costs. For TVS this amounts to around £8,000

2024 Budget

A budget has been set for 2024 taking into account contractual commitments and programme plans. This acknowledges that without the renewal of SEF payments TVS will be forced to either cancel activities or use remaining reserves to fund these, leaving the charity insolvent at the end of the year.

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ACCOUNTS

Tyume Valley Schools Development Association Receipts & Payments Accounts 1st January 2023 to 31st December 2023

Receipt s Donations Grants Bank Int Gift Aid Repayment Misc Total Payments SA programme costs: Staff Costs Activity Costs Study camps School fees Vehicle expenses Monitoring & programme visits by UK trustees & volunteers SA administration costs UK fundraising costs UK administration costs Bank charges Total payments Net receipts Analysis of cash funds UK bank account SA bank account & petty cash	12 months to 31.12.23

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