Trustees Report &
Financial Statements
2023-24

SAVANNAH EDUCATION TRUST
REPORT & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Year endal 5 April 2024

Charity name:
Savannah Education Trust
Address:
58 Applcdorc Gard¢ns
Lindfield
West Susscx RH16 2EU
Trustecs".
Paul Ramsbottom (Chair)
Richard C￿per
Howard Hickn]an
Stcph¢n Ramsbottom
Matthew Roe (from 31 January 2024)
Helen Skelton (from 31 January 2024)
Charity number:
1104896
Website:
www.savannahtrust.o

TRUSTEES, REPORT
Ob eCtiV￿ and activities
Governance
Th¢ Savannah Education Trust is a charitable trust governed by a trust deed dated 23 June
2004. Apart from the founder Trustw any Trustees are app)inted or reappointed for a tenn
of three years by a resolution of Trustees. During the year, two new trustees were appointed
to support the expanding work: Helen Skelton (a teacher and Head of Science at a succcssful
UK secondary school) and Matthew Roe {currently undertaking postgraduate research at the
University of Oxford).
The work of th¢ Trust in Ghana is Manag￿ by Alfred Sogsuo (who leads a small team b￿d
in Lawra), and th¢ TTUSt works in partncrship with the local tribal leadership and district
goY¢rnrncnt. Th¢ rnanagem¢nt of our schools is through a Committee drawn from the church
and thc local village eA)mmunity and the ongoing cost of the majority of our teaching staff is
funded by thc Ghanaian government through the Ghana Edu¢Ation Scrvicc.
Ob ectives
The charity's objectives are the advancement of ¢ducation and the ￿lief of poverty of people
living in Ghana. In particular, th¢ charity provides an education for some of the most
disadvantaged children in Upper West Region (Ghana's most imFM)verished region) by:
building and running Christian primary schools in rural villages which currently have
little or no acce&s to education.
providing essential resources for schools which are not provided by government. This
includes physical r¢sourccs (e.g. borehole, books) and a Lirgct&l programme for
teachers (a teach¢r tra]￿ing programrne to ensure a steady supply of qualRfied teach-
crs).
educating every child in each village in which the Trust worW no matter how poor,
whether girl or boy, whatever their disadvantage, disability or r¢ligion.
tailoring, where possibl¢, the ￿ucation to suit the particular needs of children in this
region.

The projects are managed at the local level by local people. Savannah Education Trust works
in close collaboration with Ghallaian partners: the Baptist Churc￿ the local Municipal
Education Directordte, tribal I￿lershIp and parents. The schools are embedded within the
Ghana EdU￿tion Service (GES), who have the ongoing responsibility for teachers, wages,
basic school resources and inspecting th¢ quality of t&aching. Savannah Education Trust is
fully ¢ommitted to safeguarding the welfare of all children and young people with whom it
corn¢s into contact. The sch(K)Is which we create and run are government sch(x)Is and the
immediate responsibility for safeguarding thffefore sits with GES. Our own staff are
committed to these principles and work closely with government officials and teaching staff
who have overall responsibility for child protection issues. Our safeguarding policy is
publicly available. We continue to organise safeguarding conferences for our staff (and other
educational staff in the area).
Activities
At the end of the calendar year (2023). P&gtor Charles KarEK) retireiL He had led the work in
Ghana from the start of Savannah's activitie￿ and the trustecs pay tribute to him for his
leadership acro&s many years. He remains a valuable source of wisdom and advicc for the
team. Following a compctitive recruitinent woe£￿ Alfred Sogsuo was appointed as County
tkfanager. He had previously held the position of accountant and &ssistant County Managcr
for Savannah Education TrusL
Th¢ villag¢s in which the charity works are in the savannah countyside clustered around the
market town of Lawra in Ghana's Upper West Region. Our frst Chrt&ian primary school was
opened in the village of Bagri during Autumn 201%5 and w¢ currently have ten school&
namely (in order of construction): Bagri. Gber4 Pavuw Mettoh, Korh. Tungan-zagkpee, Boo,
Baapari, Danko-Buree and Lyssah.
Alongside the day-t(Hlay business of sch(K)I life across busy school% the y¢aT was also one of
continucd building work
In our existing schools at Tungan-zagkpce and D￿￿k￿B￿re¢ th¢re was a need to provide
Junior High Schools (i.e. loosely similar to what in the UK would be ¢allcd 5cnior school,
running from age l I to 14). During the year, the building worK for the new JHS at Tungan-
Zagkpee was completed, and work was started at Danko-Buree.

Across all of the Savannah school& there is an ongoing maintellanee programme of paint-
ing and of rewiring. This continued during the year.
We are pleased that our new teacher training and conference centre in Lawra continues to
be well utilised - both as an olrice for Savannah staff and as a training and resource centre.
Life as a teacher in a village school can often be lonely. The centre has become a gathcring
place for sharing experiences and for more forn]al learning. It also houscs resources - both
digital and traditional - to support staff.
The centre fornis a central element of our ambition to maintain a high standard of education
in our schools and provide supJy)rt to our teaching and ancillary staff. The multi-purpose
facility has been used as a Savannah office for our stsff from 2021. Alongside the centre a
small number of gu¢st rooms have been constructed. These are already proving useful for the
centre, and may also be a source of income in the future (given the general lack of
accommodation available in this remote area). W¢ continue to work with a UK NGO, PEAS,
working together to improve the quality of education at the schools (see
htt s:Ilwww.
as.or
.uklcountrics/uhanal for rnore about this partnffship).
A feeding programm@ providing a mcal for schoolchild each day, h&s been an im-
portant part of our activities since we started. In this rcgion, children are used around the
home and in the fields to help with domestic chores and farn]ing. A meal helps to ease acute
pressure on familie& and encourages them to rele￿ children from this type of work. Increas-
ingly. the Ghanaian government is taking over the responsibility of this element of our work
Lunch for children attending Junior High SCh￿]s has until now not been part of the govern-
ment's programme and so remains the responsibility of thc charity.
The Tll￿t is supporting the schools (and indeed the whole district) through a teacber traiD-
ing programme. Many school4 particularly in rural location& Struggle to attract qualified
teachers. This is compounded by the faGt many qualified teachers choose to work in more
affluent areas of Ghana. The scholarships have been given on thc understanding tha¢ once
training is completed, the teacher will retum to work in 12wra Munlcipality. Upper West Re-
gion. It is the intention that the new teacher training c¢ntre will LY)mpl¢mcnt this programme.
not Icast with continuing professional dev¢lopmenL

As funds allow, we aim to provide accomm(￿atIOll for teachers and their families along-
side our schools. The first such provision w&$ under construction at Boo during the year (cho-
sen because it is one of the furthest schools away from the market town of Lawra).
Nearly 20 years after we started the worK the impact on the village that we work in is
evident. An education in th¢se villages is not primarily about job opportunities
but
improvement to the quality of life: from famling improvements to leaming simple hygiene
lessons. The Trust can poinL for exampl¢, to the evidence that education produces an
improvement in farming and a reduction in child mortality. Nonetheless. many of the children
in our rural schools have gone on to further education and training (often with the help of
Savannah). For a long time, the team in Ghana have felt that there is a real need for
vocational training - to help children who leave school at 14 who wish to develop a skill or
craft, and perhaps eventually set up a small business. We are therefore hopin& if the Lord
will, to build what is known as a 'Technical High School. and have identified a plot of land
on the edge of the market town of Lawra. The intention is to start relatively small with
practical skills such as construction. carpentry or electrical skills. The local government are
supportive of the venture.
Fundin
The Savannah Education Trust is extremely grateful to supp)rters who have generously
funded its work during the last year.
Without this suppor¢ our ongoing activities would not have been possible. It has been a
source of much encouragement to trustees and the ¢xe¢utiv¢ team during the year. We
ontinue also to acknowledge, with ￿atItud￿ the kind voluntary help that we have received.
Income in the year totalled £334,684 th¢ majority of which was voluntary income. We
continue to fmd regular. pledg￿ income through direct debiis particularly helpful in planning
future activities. We are also very grateful to have reL¥ived a numb¢r of grants from grant-
making charities during the year.
The level of surplus or deficit varies year t() year. largely depending on the capital
infrastructure investment in any given year. This year we report a surplus of £13,579.

Reserves
re
larL¥
Trustees have reviewed the charity's need for reserves in line with the guidance issued by the
Charity Commission.
Th¢ reserves are held for three puryx)ses. FirsL Trnstees deem it prudent to hold contingency
funds to cover the costs of the future maintenance of schools and as￿lated buildings. There
is th¢refore a growing need as our school network has expandcd to ten schools. Secondly. we
have the ambition of expanding into further villages Th¢ speed of expansion into new villages
will be dictated to a considerable extent by availability of fund4 particularly as funding is
also necded to continue the work in extsting villages. In addition. and as mentioned above.
the Trust h&8 plans to create a Te£hnical High School. Thirdly, as well as these planned and
potential Capital project4 the charity continues to have considerable ongoing costs,
particularly for the feeding and teacher training programme& We are very conscious that the
annual recurrent costs are increasing year by year, not least as the schools reach pupil
capa¢ity. It is helpful to hold at least one year's worth of the charity's core costs (i.e. staff and
core programmcs) in ￿Serve.
The Trustees have nominally designated £125,000 from the reserves towards thesc future
capital costs and £75,000 towards maintenance costs. On 5 April 2024 the charity held
reservcs (net of these funds nominally d¢signat¢d for capital projects and maintenance) of
£326,182.
Approved by Trustees and signed on their behalf
¢LuL
Date". 31 December 2024

Independent examiner's report to the trnsttts
I report on the accounts of the Trust for the year ended 5 April 2024 which are set out on
pages 10 to 16.
Respective ￿SPonSibl11￿es oftrusiees and examiner
The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparntion of the accounts. The charity's
trust¢cs consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the
Charities Act 2011 (the 201 l Act) and that an independent eLamination is needed.
It is my responsibility to".
examine th¢ accounts under section 145 of the 201 l ACL
to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity
Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 ACL and
to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Bovis of independent examiner s ￿port
My examination was carried out in accordance with the general dir￿tionS given by the
Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the
charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those r￿OrdS. It also includes
consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounty and seeking explanations
from you &8 trustees conL*rning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide
all the evidence that would be required in an audit and conwuently no opinion is given as to
whether the accounts present a ￿1¢ and fair view, and the rekx)rt is limited to those matters
set out in the stat¢mcnt bclow.
Independent examfiner's statement
In connection with my examinatiory no rnatter has come to my attention:
(l ) which gives me reasonable rAuse to believe that in any material respect the following
requirements have not been met:
to keep accounting records in a￿OrdanCe with se￿10n 130 of the 2011 Act: and
to prepare acwunts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the
accounting requirements of the 2011 ACL or

(2) to Whic￿ in my Opinio￿ attention should bc drawn in order to enable a proper
understanding of the accounts to be re8ched.
Name.. t4o•*A$4f ￿cA (fcHÉK¢
Relevant PTofe&sional qualification or body:
Address: kiLL
Date: "Lalilir
rr
L•RieL LI4WE

SAVANNAH EDUCATIOPI TRUST
Statement of Finaneial Activities for the year end￿2 5 April 2024
(including Income and Expenditure Account)
Unrestricted Restricted
2024
2023
Total
Totsl
Funds (£) Funds (£)
Note
Fun&
Voluniary income
Donations
Direct debit contributions
Gift aid
Legacies
Funds
210.971
84,155
15.405
9.191
319.722
210,971
84,155
15,405
239,417
86.412
15,991
Other income
Interest received
319,722
341,820
Total incoming resources
334 684
334 684 348 323
Resources Eypended
Cost of Gen¢rdting Funds
Newsletters and circulars
2,611
Direct Charitsble E¥pendithre
Building projects
Pupil feeding pro8rnmme
Teacher training scholarships
Transport
Buftlding maintenance &
resour￿5
96,759
39,403
20,701
10,993
96,759
39,403
20,701
10,993
167,542
25,375
22,583
13,238
30,862
198,718
St4ppori Costs
Trip to Ghana
Admin - Ghana (incl. all
staffing)
Admin - UK
Depreciation
Exchange dIff¢￿nCe
198.718
280781
5.108
5,108
3,961
97J31
3,920
8,807
97,331
3,920
8,807
74,004
4,514
8,808
119,526
119526
88,887
Total resouffes expended
321 105
321 105
372 279
Net Income / (¢x￿nd1tU￿) for the year
13.579
13,579 (23,956)
Total fimds brought forward
Total funds caryied forward
512,603
526 182
512,603
526 182
536,559
512603
10

SAVANNAH EDUCATION TRUST
Balance Sheet as at 5 April 2024
Note
2024
2023
Flxed assets
Tangible &ssets
16,807
25,614
Current assets
Cash and bank balances
Loans to staff
497.604
11.771
486,989
Creditors - amounts falling due within one year
Net current as$¢ts
509.375
486,989
Total wets less eurrent liabAllties
526 182
512603
The funds of the cbarlty
Restricted funds
Unrestricted funds
526,182
512,603
Total ebarity funds
526,182
512,603
11

11
NOIES FORMING PART OF THE FtNANCtAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR
ENDED 5 APRtL 2024
Accounting policies
(a) Basis of preparation
The f￿anCIal statements comply with the Statement of Recommended Practice
"Accounting and Reporting by Charities" (SORP 2005), the Charities Act 201 l and
applicable UK accounting standard& using the following accounting policies:
(b) Incoming resources
Voluntary income including donation& legacies and grants are recognised on receipt.
Income is only deferred when the donor specifies that the grant or donation must only
be used in future accounting peri(Kls or the donor has imw)sed conditions which must
be met before th¢ charity has uncJ)nditional entitlement.
(c) Volunteers and donated services and facilities
The value of services provided by voluntcers is noi incorpK)rated into these financial
statements. We acknowledge, with grafrful thank& the significant contribution made
by volunteers (both in the UK and Ghana).
(d) Resources expended
Liabilities are recognised as resources expended if there is a legal or constructive
obligation committing the charity to the expenditure. The irrecoverable amount of
VAT is included in the expense to whith it relates.
(e) Depr¢ciation
DurAng 2011-12 it W&8 decided that depreciation should be provided to write off the
cost, less estimated residual value8 of &ssets, over their expected useful lives.
Depreciation is calculated on a straight-line b&sis at 25 % per annum. The charity does
not capitalise items with a cost below £500.
(g) School bui Idings And related assets
School buildings and related equipmcnt arc not I￿1￿11Sed in the financial statements
as they are not considered to have any realisable value by the charity. In the event that
the charity was not able to continue operatiOD4 the intention would be for them to
12

continue &$ government sch(x)Is and with the same governance structure (albeit not
supported by th¢ programmes provided by the charity).
(h) Funds struGture
The charity has historically had a small numbcr of restricted in￿rne fimds to account
for situations where a donation h&q been S￿]fied for a particular purpose. All other
funds are unrestricted income funds.
Interest received (£s)
2024
2023
14.962 6.503
UK accounts
Ghanaian a¢count
14,962 6,503
Building projects (£s)
2024
2023
Confcrcnceltraining
centre
Baapari JHS
T-Z JHS
Danko-Buree JHS
Lyssah
Boo teachers, &com
Electricity
Improvements
27,274
67,216
21,445
11,390
38,377
3,045
50,306
25,320
666
96.759
167,542
Ghana Athnin expenses (£s)
2024
2023
14,416 12,306
82,914 61,698
97,330 74,004
Admin
Staff costs
13

UK Admin expenses l£sl
UK Admin
2024
2023
174
834
780
1,077
1,649
4.514
Bank charges
Website
Admin
Consultsncy
CAF fees
171
642
852
336
1,919
3,920
Tangible fixed &8sets
The new pick up and Kia truck have been given a residual value of £1.500
The tipper truck, pur¢has¢d in 2021. is being depreciated at a rate of 250/0 per year, less a re-
sidual valuc of £5,000.
14

New pick up
Kia truck
NewTipper TOTAL
Cost 6.42023
16.125
11283
40231
67.639
Additlons
Disposal&
Cost 5.4.2024
16,125
11283
40231
67.639
tkprectation
6.4.2023
14&25
9.784
17.616
41025
Depreciolion
Charge for yr
8.807
8,807
D¢prtciotion
5.4.2024
14.625
9.784
26.423
50.832
Written down
value
iJoo
1.499
22.615
25.614
6.4.2023
Written dowm
1,5fy)
1.499
13,808
16.807
value
5.42024
15

Cash and bank balances
2024
2023
COIF deposit a¢count
UK CUTrent account
Lloyds savings accounts
Cambridge & Counties
Redwood
Cash at bank and in haDd
in Ghana
Cash in trdnsit to Ghana
102,784 122,441
58,288
23,456
83,792
65,480
127.781 122.611
99.611 121.319
25,348 31,682
497.604 486,989
16