Supporting Schools

“Improving outcomes for children and young people”

SSE Outdoors - instructors group photo

Supporting schools in Somerset

Here in Support Services for Education (SSE), we provide a wide variety of services and training to education providers and other organisations, including schools, academies, community learning partnerships, FE colleges, early years providers, childcare settings, charities, local authorities and more – within Somerset and beyond.

Essentially, we’re the expert one-stop shop for the support services our education providers and other organisations may need. Our work means that schools and providers can focus on delivering superb educational experiences – and improving outcomes – for our children and young people. To allow them to focus we have experts that provide comprehensive support in areas including HR, staff training and CPD, outdoor learning, Governance advice and guidance, facilities and grounds maintenance, music, catering, and Digital support, to name but a few!

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Offering a Unique Service to Education

SSE are a self-funding, not-for-profit business so provide a unique balance of commercial focus and strong public sector ethos and values. We focus on keeping the costs to schools low, whilst providing high quality support services to our customers. Any surplus that we generate is reinvested to improve outcomes for children and young people.

We’re an award-winning team too. We were finalists in the Alternative Service Delivery Model of the Year category at the 2018 Public Finance Innovation Awards and have won a number of awards which you can see on our about us page. But we’re not going to rest on our laurels. Our potential to be even better is hugely exciting. We’re constantly exploring how we can work in new ways to better help the schools and education providers we support. The next three or four years are going to be fantastically exciting. We’d love you to come and join us.

The teams supporting Somerset schools

Business Support Services

Education Provision Support Services

Commercial Development Team

Business Support Services

In short, we deliver professional advice, support and reassurance to schools in a number of business critical disciplines ranging from HR, Finance and Management Information Systems all the way through to Catering Performance audits and Refuse Collection. We work closely with our customers to understand and help them achieve their own business objectives.

Education Provision Support Services

We offer practical support, guidance and expertise to schools, teachers and governing boards. We are an Ofsted Outstanding provider of School Centred Integrated teacher training (SCITT) and an ILM, NCFE and CACHE accredited centre. We have four outdoor centres where we welcome over 12,000 young people annually on day visits and residentials and our Music Service delivers both whole class and individual music tuition, as well as large scale events. Our School Library Service has in excess of 175,000 books and offers high quality, comprehensive and cost-effective support for all aspects of school library and learning resources provision.

Commercial Development Team

We deliver the professional services that support our SSE colleagues to deliver great services to our customers, we coordinate the marketing, finances, people and wellbeing across the SSE teams and offer our specialist knowledge to benefit our customers.

Investing in you

Because our people give their all to help improve outcomes for our children and young people, we go to great lengths to invest in them.

Everyone who joins SSE goes through a comprehensive induction programme, which starts with meeting the leadership team …. From there, well, it’s really up to you. As well as on-the-job training in a supportive environment, you’ll have full access to our eLearning centre – and you’ll be encouraged to take time each week to make best use of it. And from shadowing senior colleagues to gaining new qualifications (right up to master level), we’ll do everything we can to help you deepen and broaden your knowledge and boost your career.

And when it comes to careers, there’s making a difference and there’s making a difference. When you work in SSE, you’ll be making a real, visible difference to the community you live in, to people you know, to our children, to everyone in Somerset. Now how many jobs can really say that?

Meet some of our team

Simon Wood – Technical Lead

“The public service ethos here is a refreshing change from the commercial sector. The council is a supportive, considerate and respectful employer. Last year, I started a Data Science apprenticeship at Exeter College. I was encouraged and supported by my manager – and funded by the council.

Working with people and challenges at all levels, within and beyond the council, I’m able to use my knowledge, experience and problem-solving skills to develop solutions which improve things for schools.”

Meet some of our team

Naomi Chetter, Area Building Surveyor

“I really like the fact that, by looking after our school buildings, I’m making a difference to places which benefit others in Somerset.

I was involved in a major refurbishment project to replace the external cladding and windows at one of my schools. When we’d finished at the end of the summer holidays, the returning teachers, pupils and parents remarked that it felt like they were coming back to a brand-new school!

The team I work with is really supportive and we’ve a great working relationship. There’s always a colleague willing to help if you need a bit of extra advice. I’ve also been on formal and informal training to support me in my role – and to help me further develop my organisational and time management skills.”

Meet some of our team

Shannon Stacey, Office Manager for SSE Outdoor Centres

” I joined as an apprentice; as I thought it would be beneficial for my career to work in a larger organisation, that would allow me to enhance and develop new skills – which has definitely proven true!

The council have really invested in my career development. I have had my Foundation Degree in Business and Management partly funded, and had opportunities to work outside of my day to day role to gain experience in other areas to support my progression.

I am currently working with the Digital Team to create a new commercial website for SSE Outdoors, including developing online bookings for holiday camps”.

Meet some of our team

Nicola Thompson, Senior Lead Teacher, Somerset Music Service for Education

“I’ve been on a journey since joining the music service and have relished every opportunity I’ve been given.

The trust and support I am given to try new ideas is second to none – and I love the mix of teaching and event planning, and building great relationships with Schools alongside that.

I’ve been involved in some really exciting projects. I recently developed an alternative curriculum for music tutors to use during Covid where we cannot deliver our usual Whole Class Ensemble Tuition instrument package. I also created a You Tube channel over lockdown and created singing videos for schools’ home learning!

I feel valued for the work I carry out, and appreciate the continued development opportunities available – I’ve just been put on my level 3 management training which I’ll be starting in the New Year.

Get in touch

We're always pleased to hear from talented people. So if you've got any questions about the opportunities that we have available in Supporting Schools, or if there's anything else you'd like to know before you apply (or even during the application process), please get in touch with us.

Email the team

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"The council is full of supportive colleagues who encourage you to try your best. I really enjoyed building close working relationships with colleagues across the council. They’re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer, and every colleague's skillset and background is valued."

"The council offer flexible working and really trust their colleagues to work from home. Management is supportive and avoids resorting to without micro-managing. There are opportunities to develop with managers keen to support your career progression."

"Supportive and inclusive employer. Working here is immensely rewarding, knowing you have helped so many people. The way SCC has dealt with the challenges presented by Covid, and the support it has given the community, makes me feel proud to be part of the organisation"

"Salaries aren't as high as private sector, but the great benefits package does make up for that. The council offer flexible working and lots of opportunity to build a long-term career in an ever changing government organisation. If you like the challenge of continuous change, this could be the place for you."

"If feel that my work for the council is hugely valuable. That I am supporting some incredibly important services. The organisation is forward-thinking in terms of ways of working, offering good technology and working-from-home benefits, all underpinned by an understanding management culture."

"The council is a good place to work if you want to work part time. You have access to ongoing learning. Management on the whole is good. Everyone works very hard, focused on doing something worthwhile and helping professionals, and keen to demonstrate that they are offering good value for money."

"Working for the council is challenging and stimulating. Social Care is difficult but rewarding when the quality of the service can be maintained. There is a genuine culture of reward for hard work. Social Care is a changing and evolving service, and the council has a dynamic reputation."

"Supportive work environment and colleagues. Over the last 12 years I have worked with a variety of brilliant teams, each time developing new skills and gaining experience. SCC has adapted well to remote working during the pandemic with staff wellbeing at the top of the agenda."