Minutes
STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE (IROVO) Trustee meeting
March 3 2022 4.30 pm
Present: Alan Whelan (chair of trustees), Olive Carroll (trustee), John Entwistle (trustee), Sarah Campbell (trustee)
Acceptance of minutes from 21.5.21 meeting (sent February 22 2022)
CHAIR REPORT Actions since last meeting
IROVO
Alan and Olive visited Irovo in January 2022.
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Pupil registration rose to 120 during 2021 because a local school temporarily closed due to lockdown and many of their pupils came to Shalom Academy. Those pupils have now returned, so our registration has fallen back to 93.
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Staff on payroll —now returned to full pay (half pay during holidays). Teachers: Vitalis (trained); Nobert (trained and acting up as headteacher); Terry (trained); Debra (trained); Irene; Gladys; Michael; and Gertrude (cook). There is a vacancy for a security guard.
Both headteacher John Bondi and security guard Gerald have retired; Margret is unwell and unlikely to return; Lonah left the neighbourhood.
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Vitalis has attained his teaching diploma, coming first from 52 college entrants. His dissertation was entitled EFFECTS OF POVERTY ON CHILD PERFORMANCE IN EDUCATION IN KAKAMEGA EAST SUB-COUNTY.
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Infrastructure repairs & renewals . Concrete water tank has been built next to the kitchen; rocks have been laid in Education Way to deal with the appalling mud after rain. Running repairs have been made to: water harvesting system; children’s latrines; swing; classroom roof; window panes in kitchen and office; repaint/touch-up gate, staff room, latrines, goalposts, swing, all benches, and signwriting renewed at gate and school signs. More benches were built and a new window was fitted in corner classroom.
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Vitalis has outlined a list of priorities for the short term:
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A. Staff salaries
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B. Preparation for new Grade 6 class
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C. Increase pupil fees to Ksh2,500 per term
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D. Encourage full class of 25 to register for PP1
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A well-attended parents’ meeting was held in January. School board chairman emphasised the need to pay fees—now Sh2000 per term—and provide maize, beans or firewood to help with school lunches.
We are making slow if steady progress with the Land Registry with regards to the succession of land. We have an advocate representing us.
We suggested Vitalis delegate more because he seemed to be spending too much time on petty duties that could be left for others (fetching water, chopping and carrying firewood, etc). Now that his college course is completed he should have more time.
Lockdown has had a major impact on the school finances. Many parents have been unable to work, so fees have dwindled and food has not been donated to the lunch programme. Therefore we have offered to temporarily pay the staff wages (covering Jan, Feb, March) until the new term starts in April.
UK
We have had no direct contact in this period with our supporter schools due to lockdown restrictions and board member absence, but dates have been arranged for personal visits to:
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St Augustine’s school, Preston
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St Francis school, Grimsargh
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St Gregory’s school, Preston
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Mere Brow school, Tarleton
Ellesmere College, a special needs school in Leicester, expressed a desire last year to connect with SforE. No concrete plans have yet been made for activities aimed at supporting Shalom Academy.
We have reached the end of the 3-year support from Preston Guild Rotary club.
TREASURER REPORT
Vitalis regularly sends monthly accounts and financial updates. All current expenses are covered.
Balance on hand, Barclays UK (Preston branch): £8699.57
Balance on hand, ABSA Kenya (Kakamega branch): Kshs 264,946 (£1766)
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Income since last meeting
£s
MF donation £10,000 Mere Brow school 377.00 Amazon Smile 32.08 Amazon Smile 10.13 Amazon Smile 11.09 JE donation 370.00 Gift Aid £1342.50 TOTAL £12,142.80
Expenditure since last meeting
£s
From UK to Kakamega via Wise transfer
Repair Education Way 319.08 Grade 5 text books and teacher guides 350.00 College fees for Vitalis 69.45 Build water tank 215.08 More college fees and finish water tank 76.06 Sent to ABSA Kakamega 2000.00 (Oct 2021–Ksh299,397) Grade 6 text books 237.31 Part staff wages 99.51
123-Reg website fees 172.05 Domain name 9.73 TOTAL UK SPEND £3,548.27
Expenditure in Irovo from ABSA funds
Ksh
TOTAL IROVO SPEND Ksh249,094 (£1660)
Operating finances are precarious. Main expenses are wages (approx £260 per month) and kitchen (£95 in January).
Grade 5 only has 10 pupils, so, to cut back on wages, we have suggested that in April
Nobert take both Grade 5 and 6 until the payment of fees increases.
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Anticipated expenditure
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Mains water pipework and commissioning.
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All staff wages for March (January and February have already been paid).
Anticipated income
???
The meeting discussion covered a diverse range of subjects:
+ Ways to insulate the classrooms to reduce noise.
Build a second wall with insulation material between them such as egg boxes
+ Bringing more natural light into classrooms
Install see-through plastic corrugation in roof over each classroom
+ Board members requested
A copy of Vitalis’s research project (done by OC 6/3)
Costs of supplying breakfast (done by OC 6/3)
+ Breakfast
We considered the possibility of providing breakfast such as porridge each morning / 2 mornings a week / looking at fruit as an option.
+ Classroom assistants
C.A.s may help in the future with large classes or combined grades. This came up while discussing Nobert teaching grades 5 & 6 at the same time and Irene’s lack of teaching qualification and poor spoken English.
+ Rotary Support
OC to contact Preston Guild rotary for a personal intro to another Preston club (done 6/3) OC to contact other Rotary Clubs with an offer of a talk/appeal for funds (emailed 20 clubs on 6/3; 4 have responded, 3 to invite me and one said they couldn’t help)
+ School Supporters
OC visited One World Group at St Augustines (2/3) hosted by Kirsty On 6/3 OC contacted
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Natalie at St Frances – will get in touch for a visit in the summer
Dee at St Gregory’s
Sarah at Merebrow
+ Computing
Discussed the need for computer access to meet requirements of the curriculum.
+ Issues for Vitalis to address
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Follow up on mains water connection
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Follow up on electricity supply and costs.
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If economically unfeasible, is solar an option?
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Are there other streams of Kenyan funding, eg Govt grants, that Vitalis could apply for
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Essential for Vitalis to develop and implement a Marketing Strategy to engage with local parents, increase number of pupils and ensure that parents who can afford to pay do so
+ Outstanding Infrastructure
Paving of Education Way
Repair/renovate kitchen
Build a shade canopy for children/teachers in the playground
Mains water pipework and connection
Short- and medium-term priorities at Shalom Academy remain
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Keep existing teachers on staff
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Add Grade 6 in April 2022
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Raise fee revenue to Ksh2,500 per term from April 2022
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Buy additional text books (approx. £20 per set per pupil)
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Explore breakfast options
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Continue infrastructure maintenance and build
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Vitalis to enquire about local funding options
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Vitalis to formalise a school marketing plan
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