Three pioneers from Charlton Manor primary school will fly to The Gambia on Monday, February 2, to help build a school for some of the poorest children in Africa.

Teachers Shelley Johannesen and Katy Pease, and premises manager Michael Rivers, will be part of a seven-strong team from the Ceesay Nursery School charity.

The team will help with teacher training and come up with an action plan to build the school from scratch over the next five or six years.

At the moment, Ceesay Nursery School in The Gambia are renting a small building for the 28 children who are each sponsored for £100 a year by people from all over the world, including the UK, America and Australia and that number is expected to increase to 40-plus over the next few years.

Inclusion manager at Charlton Manor, Shelley Johannesen, said: "In Gambia it’s initially about getting children in school, so it’s inclusion in a much bigger and more basic way.

"The trip is very exciting, the children already Skype each other and it would be wonderful if they were able to meet at some time in the future."

The campaign at the Charlton school in Indus Road started after headteacher Tim Baker met charity chair Diane Fisher.

Diane Fisher said: "I first discovered this school in 2007 when I was visiting the Gambia and doing some work for another educational charity.

"Despite not having any resources – literally three pens and two books in the whole school, no blackboard and no regular payment – Mr Ceesay and his teachers had been teaching the local children who could not afford to go to school since 1997."

Year 5 teacher Katy Pease only joined Charlton Manor last September and within weeks was asked if she’d like to go to The Gambia. "I think it’s a wonderful project and I’m very excited about going," she said.

"It’s great to be in the position to go to Africa and share our knowledge for such a good cause. It’s very much about finding the best ways we can help the school."