2022-03-31-accounts

Centennial Old Students Association (CEOSA) Trustees Report For Year Ending 31[st] December 2022

Organisational structure

The charity which gained registration status in May 2021 is under the management of a board of trustees which meets every three months to plan and implement fund raising programmes. They also have the responsibility of identifying specific development projects that the association should undertake on a yearly basis.

Risk management

A system of control is in place whereby the authorisation, payment and monitoring of the association’s programmes and activities are monitored.

Our Vision:

We envisage the renovation of the infrastructure of our school (Centennial Secondary School) which was vandalized during the Sierra Leone Civil War. We also provide incentives to the student population such as prizes for students who achieve high grades in their examinations. This includes providing scholarships for students have qualify to enter university. We also support charitable organisations that support the welfare of youths in this England.

Our Mission:

CEOSA has the ardent wish to restore our school to its former glory. Centennial Secondary School was one of the best schools in Sierra Leone in its heydays. We wish to provide services that will attract very bright students and highly competent and qualified teachers.

Our Object:

To advance in life and relieve needs of young people in London through: by donating to charitable organizations that cater for the needs of the youthful population in London.

To improve the educational standards of Centennial Secondary and to restore its former status as one of the best schools in Sierra Leone:

• a) Through the provision of facilities that will encourage aspiring students to achieve academic excellence, such as the supply of much needed text books, scholarships and employing competent and devoted teachers.

• b) Recreational and leisure activities will also be provided. This includes supplying the school with sports equipment and prizes for winning participants in sports competitions.

• c) The provision of musical instruments for a ceremonial school band.

General Summary

After gaining registration status with the Charity Commission both the board of trustees and the executive members of the association drew up a plan of activities that will cover a five year period that came into effect on the 1[st] of June 2020. This plan will be the guiding principle for our activities in the next five years. The plan includes raising funds raising funds to support our projects.

After the relaxation of the restrictions over the Covid-19 pandemic, CEOSA engaged in a fundraising activity in 2022 by organising a dinner and dance held in June 2022. However, the event was poorly attended and our gate takings for the event was very minimal. Our meagre gate takings were £800. This year members subscriptions dropped down to £550. Our expenses towards our scholarship funds for deserving student together with the provision of prizes for the annual Speech Day still remained the same. So, the total expenses of those events was at £1650.

The renovation of the school’s infrastructure is still an ongoing programme. CEOSA is still engage in the arduous task of completely reroofing all the classrooms in the school. As mentioned last year, Sierra Leone is prone to heavy rain storms and a leaking roof does not provide the right atmosphere for learning. However we are determined to resume the renovation of the school’s infrastructure.

Current Activities

Our current activities have been carried out in accordance with the government’s guidelines of social distancing since restrictions were eased. However if there is another period of lock-down we will still continue to implement our scholarship programme and to renovate some of the buildings in the school.

Our Strategic Objectives

Our strategic objectives are still being pursued with a renewed vigor, despite the fact that we still have a long way to go in the achievement of these objectives.

Objective 1: The provision of scholarships to students who pass their GCSE and gain admission to University.

Achievement

Two of the students we have been sponsoring graduated from university at the end of the last academic year.

We also provided funds for the purchase of instruments and uniforms for a ceremonial band

Future Plans

We have encouraged all alumni of the Centennial Secondary School all over the world to continue to make positive financial and material contributions towards the development of the schoo l.

Achievements

A former old student of CSS now living in the United States of America recently bought a motorised lawn mower for the school.

We also sponsored a “Speech Day” and Prize giving ceremony for academic and sporting excellence

Future Plans

• For individual members to purchase much needed text

books form the school Library.

Achievement: We were able to collect over a thousand text

books which were shipped home to the Centennial Secondary School Library.

Objective: To provide extra tuition for students who are studying for their GCSE.

Achievement: Teachers were encouraged to hold special classes for fifth form students who are attempting the GCSE this academic year.

Achievement: The revolving door fund which was provided to pay teachers’ salaries promptly at the end of the month is still in place. This is particularly helpful because teachers’ salaries in Sierra Leone in general are not paid on time.

A word of appreciation to our donors

The effort to improve the infrastructure of Centennial is solely dependent on those who patronise our fund raising efforts. Thanks to their generous contributions we have made giant strides towards the regeneration of our school.

We also express our thanks and appreciation to those who have made individual contributions towards the development of the school. For instance we can now boast of one of the best school libraries in the Sierra Leone thanks to the individual members who bought books for the library project.

Statement of Trustees Responsibilities

The United Kingdom’s Recommended practice. In both England and Wales, Trustees are required to prepare a financial statement for each financial year. This statement should be a true and accurate reflection of the charity’s state of affairs such its incoming resources and how these resources are applied including the income and expenditure for the charity in that period. This is based on the law applicable to charities in England and Wales, the Charities Act 1993, Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the trust deed. In preparing those financial statements, trustees are required to:

• Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently

• Observe the methods and principles in the Charity SORP

• Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent

• Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.

They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.