Support Services for Education e-booklet

Support Services for Education (SSE)

Outstanding Education Starts with SSE

Support Services for Education sse@somerset.gov.uk 0300 123 7365

Introduction Support Services for Education (SSE) is a traded unit within Somerset County Council that offers a wide variety of support services and training to all education providers, including schools, academies, further education colleges, early years providers and local authorities.

As a public sector trading organisation, we provide the right balance between public sector ethos and commercial practice.

About Us SSE not only supports education providers in Somerset but also delivers services across the UK, and currently looks after over 500 schools and academies, and more than 1000 early years providers.

We provide a one-stop-shop of support services, training, and resources for schools, early years, colleagues, and other organisations. This includes educational improvement packages, bespoke professional support and development, business & management services, and many more.

At SSE we make it easy for all customers to procure their services and ensure they get services tailored to their exact needs. As a not-for-profit organisation, any surplus that we generate is reinvested to improve outcomes for children and young people. Ensuring that we deliver great value services that are continually improving.

We are committed to making a difference for children and young people.

Our Vision To ensure that educational settings in Somerset and beyond have access to highquality services and expertise that enables them to focus on delivering educational excellence to all children and young people.

Our Aim We aim to improve the outcomes for all children and young people by working in partnership with other service providers, to deliver high-quality services that provide outstanding value for money.

We put children and young people at the heart of everything we do, and we utilise the expertise and experience of those working in our organisation and other external agencies.

Our Core Services Support Services for Education (SSE) is a traded unit within Somerset County Council that offers a wide variety of support services and training to all education providers, including schools, academies, further education colleges, early years providers and local authorities.

As a public sector trading organisation, we provide the right balance between public sector ethos and commercial practice.

SSE Services are split across 6 core areas; Business Support Education & School Improvement Enrichment & Outdoor Education Environmental & Premises Professional Development Send & Inclusion Support Each of the services within these core areas has a team of professionals, who have a wealth of experience, skills, and knowledge in that field which will support you in delivering the best possible education provision to the children and young people in your establishment.

A full breakdown of the support we can offer can be found on our website www.supportservicesforeducation.co.uk, however, the main areas are listed below: Finance

Data protection

Human resource management

Governance

Recruitment

Insurance

Payroll

Outdoor education and trips

Health and safety

Duke of Edinburgh award

Property and ground management

Music

Catering and cleaning

Literacy

Refuse and recycling

Training and development

Information technology

Climate awareness

Management information systems

Each service provides a wide and diverse range of support and training packages.

We also provide bespoke and tailor-made packages which are available upon request.

Our Achievements SSE work hard to always deliver the best possible customer service and we are proud of what we have achieved throughout the year.

Over the last academic year: • 558 Somerset, North Somerset, Out of County and Independent schools (including Academies and Multi-Academy Trusts) have purchased support through the SSE system • 1271 individual customers have purchased support through the SSE system - this includes all schools, colleges, universities, childminders, early years, parents etc.

• SSE have made 448 training courses and conferences available for school staff, with 11,625 people booking a place at these events • Somerset has 15 online safety mark (360 safe) accredited schools – the most in the country compared to any other organisation – with arranged assessment credits for another 8 schools • 3 new services have recently been added to the SSE website to further increase the offer of support to schools Several of our services such as SSE Outdoors, HR Admin & Payroll, Property & Grounds, School Library Services, Governance and HR Advisory not only support schools in Somerset but also across 8 other counties.

Our services are at the heart of what we do. Each of them has their own incredible achievements, which you can learn more about on their service pages on our website

www.supportservicesforeducation.co.uk

"The excellent support and training we have received from the SSE Team at Somerset County Council over the years have been outstanding. They have been so quick to respond to the many questions we have had, and the staff are all so professional and thorough. We very much appreciate their attention to detail and customer service."

"I have personally worked with members of the team for over 14 years, and the wealth of experience across the team has come to my rescue many times. They are all excellent problems solvers who understand the pressures in school offices, and nothing is ever too much trouble!”

“The SSE team are extremely professional, providing us with outstanding support and advice whenever we need it. The team are all extremely knowledgeable, and they communicate information effectively through excellent training, comprehensive guidance documents and invaluable telephone support."

“It has been an absolute pleasure working with you, your knowledge and support have been invaluable and much appreciated, as has your patience and kindness.

Thank you so much.”

Key contact details Support Services for Education Email: sse@somerset.gov.uk Tel: 0300 123 7365 Website: www.supportservicesforeducation.co.uk For the latest news and updates follow us on Twitter @SSESomerset Kate Edwards - Business Development Manager Email: caedwards@somerset.gov.uk Tel: 07977 401918 If you would like to discuss any of our services in more detail, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.