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Customer Newsletter October 2018
Working Together - Providing Opportunities
Welcome back. We hope you managed to get a well-deserved break over the summer and have had a good start to the new academic year.
Our start to the academic saw the TUPE transfer of 15 staff from North Somerset Council into the following SSE services, in order to provide continuity of service to both North Somerset Council as well as to schools, academies and trusts within the North Somerset area, who directly purchase these support services.
• Educational Psychology
• Learning Support Service and Autism and Communication
• Education Welfare
• Human Resource
These arrangements will help us to share good practice, cover a wider geographical area and provide further strength and resilience to our teams. Other good news through the summer includes the National Citizen Service (NCS) expanding its contract with our other centres, our Autism and Communication Services securing a contract with the Autism Education Trust to provide autism training to Education Establishments and SCIL receiving its gold IIP accreditation and becoming finalists for a national award.
Although we have only just started this academic year, we are already looking ahead at finalising the support services and packages on offer for the 19/20 academic year. Please feel free to contact us to feedback on our existing services and how they may be packaged differently in order to best meet your needs. The ordering window for 19/20 services (at discounted prices) will commence on 25 February 2019.
Finally, we hope that you’re aware that we are running another SSE conference next year, which will include key note speakers, a variety of workshops/presentations from SSE services, partners and sponsors, as well as a comprehensive exhibition hall. This year’s theme will be the ‘Health and Wellbeing of students and staff’ and will take place at Westlands Leisure complex, Yeovil on the 8th March 2019. Further details including how to book your place will be available soon on the SSE website.
SSE Leadership Team
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EMAIL: [email protected]
Inside this Issue...
Article Page
Autumn Events - Somerset Early Years Annual Conference
1
SENCO Conference 1
High Needs Top Up Funding Moderations 1
About SSE 2
Kilve Court Residential Trips 2
SCIL Graduation Ceremonies 3
SCIL IIP Gold Award 3
SCIL Apprenticeships 4
SIMS Finance 4
Feedback - KS1.2 Moderation Process 5
Vision Support Team Feedback 6
SEN Parent Feedback 6
SEND Inclusion Schools Audit 7
AET Licence Success 8
SIMS Team 8
SSE Conference 2019 9
Resources for Learning Celebrates 70 Years 10
Full List of SSE Services 11- 13
Contact Details 14
Somerset Early Years Annual Conference
This year’s Somerset Early Years Annual Conference theme is Celebrating Inclusive Practice in the Early Years and takes place on the 21st of November 2018 at Taunton Racecourse (TA3 7BL).
This year’s workshops include:
• Underneath the iceberg: aims to give an overview of the current understanding of what shapes young children’s social and emotional wellbeing and mental health.
• Sensory Processing and Attachment in the early years: aims to give participants an overview of sensory processing.
• Navigating their Needs, EAL and SEND.
• Developing an Inclusive Learning Environment.
• Meeting in Movement Development attention for play and communication.
Book a place now by visiting here.
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SENCO Conference
This year’s SENCO conference is a full day of
training to support schools in using an evidence
-based approach to improve outcomes for
children and young people with Communication
and Interaction Needs in their settings. It takes
place on the 8th of November 2018 at The
Canalside Centre in Bridgwater (TA6 6LQ).
The day will be delivered by Mary Hartshorne
and Liz Wood from ICAN and Lyn Byatt from
Autism Education Trust.
Participants will understand the research
around the development of language skills and
the journey through language development
from Early Years to having appropriate
language skills to be successful in the
workplace.
Participants will also understand the skills that
are necessary to deliver effective education
and monitor progress of children and young
people with autism.
Book a place by visiting here.
Autumn Events
High Needs Top Up Funding Moderations Sessions 2018/2019
Annual Moderation of High Needs funding for
Mainstream Schools for children and young people
without an EHCP. The moderation will sample 10% of all
HN funded pupils and give schools an opportunity to put
forward applications for consideration where a change in
band is requested. At moderation schools will work in
small groups to peer moderate each others
applications.
Moderations will be held across the four geographical areas of the county. Due to numbers and
size of venues it is only possible to accommodate one delegate from each school/college. It is
also important for all schools/colleges to attend the moderation within their own geographical
area where possible.
To find out more about these sessions and to book, please click here.
To find documentation about the High Needs Moderation Process click here (This link requires
a login).
About SSE
Our Centre at Kilve Court, owned and run by Somerset County Council, has developed a series of exciting residential offers for late Autumn starting from only £40 per child/young person. There are two residential trips available to new schools, or schools that haven’t visited us since 2016, both have links to the National Curriculum, fostering the right learning environment at the start for the school year.
Year 2, 3 and 4, One-night residential
Introducing children to the thrills and challenges of an overnight experience with lots of outdoor learning opportunities, Health and Wellbeing activities, and is designed to link closely to work pupils will do during the upcoming academic year.
Support Services for Education (SSE)
continues to be a traded unit within Somerset
County Council that offers a wide variety of
support services to all education providers,
including Schools, Academies, Further
Education colleges, Early Years providers,
Childcare Settings and Local Authorities.
As a public sector trading unit we provide the
right balance between public sector ethos and
commercial practice.
We offer a one-stop-shop of support services
for education providers, making it easy for
customers to procure our services and ensure
they get support tailored to their needs.
Here at SSE we have no financial
shareholders and operate a not for profit
business model, any surplus that we generate
is reinvested to improve outcomes for children
and young people. This ensures that we
deliver great value services that are continually
improving.
Want to keep up-to-
date in between
newsletters?
Make sure you check
our website for news,
updates and events.
You will need to be
logged into the
website to access
these in full.
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Year 5 and 6, Two-night residential
Designed to inspire young people, introducing new learning environments, and support students to be better and more resilient learners during the year ahead. There is explicit numeracy, literacy and science links throughout the programme.
For more information, please click here or to book contact us [email protected] or 01278 741270.
Book now to avoid disappointment!
Graduation Ceremonies at the University of Worcester
SCIL offer undergraduate and post-graduate courses in education validated by the University of Worcester. All students who successfully complete any of the following courses: foundation degree, honours degree, PGCE or masters, are invited to attend a graduation ceremony held at Worcester Cathedral. This year the ceremonies that students are involved in are held on the 7th and 8th November.
The graduation ceremonies are a fantastic celebration and recognition of the students’ hard work and success. During the ceremony, which includes inspirational speeches, the students, fully robed for the occasions, walk up the aisle of the Cathedral onto the stage to shake hands with the Vice Chancellor.
The Cathedral is packed with tutors, similarly robed for the occasion, and family members. After the ceremony, the students and their family members are invited up to the University for food, drink and photographs. There is a great sense of occasion for all involved and a feeling that, though the journey will have been challenging, it was all worth it!
SCIL IIP Gold
Somerset Centre for Integrated Learning have
achieved the Gold Award from Investors in People.
SCIL, who have previously achieved Gold
accreditation, have achieved a repeat of their success
despite the increased standards expected as part of
the process. Investors in People are an awards body who recognise organisations who excel in
people management “The Standard defines what it takes to lead, support and manage people
well for sustainable results”.
The IIP assessors made the following comments:
‘processes, practices and behaviours are so well embedded at SCIL that they are a cultural way
of life’;
‘the passion with which people believe in what they do is reflected in everyone’s enthusiasm
and confidence’;
‘[valuing staff] is done so well that it’s what makes SCIL such a great place to work’.
‘The overriding value of prioritising children and young people is without doubt at the heart of
everything everyone does’
Congratulations to Karen Shopland, Service Manager, and the rest of the team at SCIL for
your hard work in achieving this fantastic award.
For more information, please contact Karen Shopland on [email protected]
or 03001 231967.
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SCIL Apprenticeships
4
SIMS Finance
SIMS Finance is a Capita system that has been specifically designed for the education market and provides a comprehensive overview of school finance. It is intended to streamline financial management across an academy or multi-academy trust, and to provide a complete and consolidated picture of their finances. Education Financial Services is a Capita SSU (SIMS Support Unit) and we are pleased to be working with a multi-academy trust in Somerset that is using the new system. Further information can be found on the Capita website: www.capita-sims.co.uk/products-and-services/sims-finance We arranged a demonstration of the system at the Somerset Association of School Business Mangers Meeting in July and have arranged another session on Monday 5
th November at 9.30am at SCIL, Taunton. If you would like to attend, please email
[email protected]. At this stage this is only for academies.
Somerset Centre for Integrated Learning (SCIL) are now offering
apprenticeships. We have our first cohort of Teaching Apprentices and will be
soon recruiting for Level 3 Team leader/supervisor and Level 5 operations/
departmental manager apprenticeships.
Apprenticeships are designed so that they can be used to upskill existing
members of staff, as well as developing new staff members. The training fees
can be paid from the Apprenticeship Levy,
the apprentice is required to spend 20%
(one day a week) of their time in off the job
training.
If you would like to find out more about
apprenticeships, please contact SCIL
Feedback
KS1.2 Moderation Process
The school improvement team
provide the schools in Somerset LA
and further afield with a robust
moderation cycle. A statutory
requirement is for all primary schools
to be moderated every 4 years at
least. Volunteer moderators, who are
current teachers in Somerset, are
trained and equipped to moderate
the assessment processes and judgements of teachers in Year 2 and 6.
We have had really great feedback from our schools, here is a few of them:
• You were very supportive and knowledgeable about the assessment
requirements.
• You gave clear guidance about how to improve the books further.
• We are happy with the arrangements as they stand at present. We felt the
process was clear and transparent.
• Yet again you made something that could have been really stressful into
a painless and even enjoyable discussion! It's lovely that in a time when
the education system feels in crisis, moderation can feel like a positive
experience with the needs and experiences of the children being put at
the forefront.
• My infant teacher felt she was listened to during the discussion and was
given opportunities to present more evidence.
• You supported our NQT through the Moderation process and spent time
helping her.
• The visit was successful for us because it confirmed the judgements that
had been made. There was clarity about the process and it was
conducted in a professional way. It was useful to know who was to be
moderated in time to get the evidence ready.
• The successes were the professional open dialogues both myself and the
year 6 class teacher had.
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Vision Support Team
In the summer of 2015, Ella (pictured below) lost her remaining vision overnight. Sadly several cycles of surgery could not restore her vision. In the September of that year, the Vision Support team, who has worked with Ella since before she started at school teaching her low vision skills, such as the use of specialist equipment including electronic magnification devices and software, started to work more intensively with her.
The team started to teach her braille and Ella bought a Mac computer, as the inbuilt accessibility software is superior to that of a Windows device. But she had to then learn how to use these features. As Ella was very busy at school, the team ensured that she received the relevant level of support. While learning braille, the team at first saw her more regularly, including teaching braille at home after school so that she didn’t miss any lessons. Once she had the key skills necessary, Ella decided that she would like to see the team less as her time was generally filled with school based work and support .
Ella achieved an incredible10 A* and 2 A’s in her GCSEs, a year after losing her sight.
She decided to stay on at Kings of Wessex into the 6th
form rather than considering a specialist placement for students with visual impairment. Earlier this year, she was offered a place at the University of Oxford to study maths dependant on grades. In her A levels, she achieved an A*, A and a B. This was not quite enough to secure her place at Oxford, but the university offered to defer her place for a year if she was able to retake to move the B to an A. Ella was offered a place for this year at the University of Bristol, but decided to defer her Oxford place instead. During this year, her previous school are supporting her with maths tuition and Oxford have also offered to support her study. The Vision Support team continue to support Ella, but this is now taking a more holistic approach, looking at the practical and social aspects of having no vision and to provide a knowledgeable listening ear.
She has decided to apply to volunteer with the RNIB and use this year to develop her independence and mobility skills, particularly as she became a fully qualified guide dog owner in the summer!
Parent Feedback about SEN:
SEN Advisory Teacher, Janet Miles, also recently received great feedback from a parent
about the SEN service that is provided by SSE:
“Thank you so much for the support you have given my daughter through the tough times and
the good ones. It feels like she has finally found her feet and has grown up so much in the last
year . It is great to see her happy and focused on what she wants to do. I honestly never
thought it would happen with everything she has had going on over the last few years, but she
has made it and you and the team are an element in that process, so thank you.”
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For more information about the SEN services that SSE provide, please email
[email protected] or call 01823 334475.
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What is the SEND inclusion audit?
Building on a pilot undertaken last year and following requests for this to be available to all
schools the Inclusive Schools Group have been developing the Somerset Inclusion Audit. This is
based on other similar audit tools used by schools in other Local Areas. The Somerset Inclusion
Audit is a simple self-evaluation tool which will support Headteachers, Governors and SENCOs.
It will help to evidence how your school is meeting your statutory duties for children and young
people with SEND, identify any gaps and help to plan improvement activity.
Benefits of Completing the SEND Audit
• Evaluate compliance to the statutory duties for CYP with SEND and provide evidence for external agencies such as Ofsted.
• Improve outcomes for all CYP and support the needs of individual CYP including children with specific circumstances.
• Help address barriers in relation to achieving best practice and where support might come from, such as EPs, LSS and/or teaching schools.
• Provide a format to support planning meetings with your Educational Psychologist and Learning Support Advisory Teachers.
• Support the Headteacher, SENCO and Governors to produce a school information report.
• Support Governing Bodies in preparation for external agencies such as Ofsted for an area inspection with regard to the school inclusivity.
• Support the Local Area Inclusive Schools group to understand the issues facing schools regarding meeting the needs of CYP with SEND and specific circumstances, identify best practice and develop further tools and training to improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND.
This is not a statutory Audit. This year will be the first year that such a tool has been available
across all Somerset schools. Schools will continue to help shape the Audit tool into the future.
For more information and to download the SEND Inclusion Schools Audit, please click
here.
For the latest SEND newsletter, please visit here.
SEND Inclusion Schools Audit
In July of this year, the Local Authority was successful in a
rigorous application and interview process to become an AET
(Autism Education Trust) Hub.
Angela Williams (Service Manager A&C, LSS), Jo Dennis-
Minns (Deputy Service Manager A&C, LSS), Wendy Toy
(Early Years SENCO) and Ruth Hobbs (Parent Carer Forum)
attended the interview.
We have the Hub in partnership with Fiveways School.
Fosseway has been able to offer training that has been invaluable. By becoming an LA AET Hub,
we can embed a consistent 0-25 approach. We can also work in partnership with Somerset
Parent Carer Forum, Educational Psychology, Health and Social Care.
AET supports The Somerset SEND Strategy 5 outcomes.
The AET materials will enable professionals to work together and share information and ideas
about the strengths and differences of children, young people and adults with autism in an
accessible way.
There are three tiers to the training. Tier one is hoped to go into every school and is for every
member of the school. Tier two is more for SENCOs, teachers and tier three is aimed for
management at a strategic level.
Inconsistencies in the knowledge and understanding of the impacts of autism can lead to needs
being unmet and potential unfilled. AET supports these areas and we now want to be able to
deliver this across Somerset.
On the 8th November, Lyn Byatt from AET will be speaking at the SENCO conference about AET.
This will be about evidence-based practice and places can be booked via the SSE website.
AET Licence Success
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Welcome back to the new school year, we hope you had an enjoyable summer. As
all schools will be aware a serious problem was identified at the end of the summer
term in relation to Capita SIMS CTF. To resolve this problem it is extremely
important that schools have received, and are actioning, an email sent to all SIMS
Team subscribing schools on 4 September 2018, entitled “Further Important
Information on the SIMS CTF Problem”.
Any schools who have not received this email should contact the SIMS Helpline on
(01823) 355090. Please click here for the associated instructions.
Given the level of support we are having to provide schools to rectify this problem, I
am sure you will understand that significant pressure has been put on the SIMS
Team helpline, as such we apologise if some of our response times may be slightly
longer than usual.
A Message from the SIMS Team
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SSE Conference 2019
• SEN consultant, Andrew Whitehouse, who is an experienced educator having held leadership, teaching and outreach roles in a range of settings. He has extensive training and experience in the inclusion of learners with ADHD, Autism, Asperger Syndrome, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), Dyspraxia and Dyslexia. In addition to his work as a trainer, Andrew actively provides outreach services to educational settings nationwide.
• Best-selling author, Claire Eastham, is a recognised mental health advocate, blogger, campaigner and keynote speaker. Drawing on her own experiences to talk about social anxiety and panic attacks, Claire is known for her relatable and honest approach, bridging the gap between health professionals and those living with a mental health disorder. Claire debuted her best selling book ‘We’re Mad Here’ in November 2016.
•
The 2018 Conference attracted over 250 delegates from Somerset and surrounding counties from across the South West. The delegates enjoyed browsing the stands from over 30 exhibitors and we plan to offer a similar range in 2019.
We will be using the knowledge gained from this event and will providing a new range of subjects in the 2019 Conference that we are confident you will find valuable and relevant.
Next year's event is shaping up to be even better so be sure to block your diary for 8th March 2019. Further details including how to book your place will be available soon on the SSE website - www.supportservicesforeducation.co.uk.
Following the success of our 2018 SSE
Conference we are pleased to announce
our next annual conference on Friday 8th
March 2019. Be sure to save the date
now!
We can confirm that next year’s theme
will be the ‘Health and Wellbeing of
Students and Staff’ and will be taking
place at the Westlands Conference and
Leisure Centre in Yeovil again. Feedback
from the Conference was very positive
with comments praising the location of
the venue, its excellent meeting rooms, comfortable break out areas and superb catering.
We are also pleased to announce that we have booked two keynote speakers for next year’s
conference:
Resources for Learning Celebrates 70 Years
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Currently known as Resources for Learning (RfL),
Somerset’s very own Schools’ Library Service has
been providing books and support for school
libraries since 1948.
Managed by Kenneth ‘Tim’ Laver, the first base was in
the ‘Shed’ at Library HQ in Mount Street, Bridgwater
and the main aim of the service was to provide books
for every school in Somerset via a system of
‘exchange’.
Schools were provided with two books per child which,
at the beginning of each term, were swapped for another batch. No computers in sight; books
were counted in and then back out again.
Over the years the RfL service has experienced a number of accommodation moves and
thanks to the ongoing support from Somerset Schools has managed to transform into a traded
service.
A measure of the success of the service is that many schools in Somerset (and beyond) choose
to continue to use it.
The service now operates from a site next to the Bridgwater College Academy campus and
management of the resources have become much slicker with the introduction of the new
computer system.
The advent of the internet heralded the addition of e-books to the RfL package. The exchange
system has long gone; teachers can now order individual project boxes, which are tailored to a
specific subject and for the exact age range and ability of the pupils.
Literacy is key to the curriculum and access to a broad range of good quality, cost-effective
resources is essential. With the average price of a children’s book at £7.31 schools can save a
fortune by subscribing to a service that buys, processes, delivers and swaps resources on a
regular basis. RfL continues to work with a range of partners and offers a subscription to The
Somerset Literacy Network as part of its ‘Gold’ subscription.
Nick Rowe, until recently the RfL Senior Librarian, says that one of RfL’s greatest achievements
is creating a library space in all the primary schools in Somerset. Schools may have invested in
funkier library furniture, but RfL continues to support
the libraries with practical help and advice meaning
that every school in the county has access to a
professional librarian.
Who knows what the future may hold? No doubt
RfL will have to redefine itself once more. In the
past RfL has risen to challenges and there is no
reason why it shouldn’t continue to deliver
services in a diverse and changing world. Watch
this space…
Full List of SSE Services
• Acoustics Service
• Admissions and Appeals (North Somerset)
• Admissions and Appeals
• Appeals Service - Admissions and Exclusions (NS)
• Arts Education Network - InspirED Somerset
• Asbestos Surveying and Testing (Somerset Scientific Services)
• Autism and Communication Service
• Bath and Mendip Partnership Teaching School
• Care first
• Catering, Cleaning and Refuse Advisory Team
• Contract Management - Building Cleaning (NS)
• Contract Management - School Meals (NS)
• Crisis Communications Support
• Duke of Edinburgh's Award
• Early Years and School Places and Pupil Entitlements (Core)
• Early Years Area SENCOs
• Early Years Improvement Team
• Ecology Services
• Education Financial Services (EFS)
• Education Technology Team - eLIM
• Education Welfare Service (EWS)
• Educational Psychology Service
• E-Learning Packages
• Ethnic Minority Achievement & Traveller Education Service (EMA/TES)
• Exchequer Service (formerly Finance Shared Service)
• Exclusion Reviews
• External Funding Service
• Financial Services (Core)
• Free School Meals Checking Service (NS)
• Free School Meals Eligibility Check
• Futures for Somerset Ltd - (FfS) (Somerset Local Education Partnership)
• Governance Services
• Headteacher Recruitment
• Health & Safety and Fire Safety Service (NS)
• Health and Safety Management Service
For more information on any of these services, please telephone 01823 348266, email
[email protected], or visit www.supportservicesforeducation.co.uk.
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Full List of SSE Services
• Hearing Support Team
• HR Admin and Payroll
• HR Advisory Service
• ICT Services
• Inclusive Communication - Somerset Total Communication.
• Insurance (NS)
• Insurance Service
• Learning Support Service
• Learning, Language and Communication Service
• Legal Services
• Liberata Creditors Service (NS)
• Liberata HR Transactional Services (NS)
• Liberata Payroll Services (NS)
• Liberata Schools Finance Support Service (NS)
• Music (Somerset Music)
• Newly Qualified Teacher - School Improvement
• North Somerset Council Property Services (NS)
• Occupational Health Service
• One West
• Physical Impairment and Medical Support Team (PIMST)
• Portage Home Visiting Service
• Property - Corporate Property (Core)
• Property and Grounds Service
• Resources for Learning (Schools Library Service)
• RSPB Avalon Marshes (RSPB Ham Wall & Natural England Shapwick Heath NNR)
• Safeguarding Early Years & Education
• SAPHTO (Somerset Association of Primary Headteachers and Officers)
• School Funding and Accountancy Team - SFAT (CORE)
• School Improvement
• Scientific monitoring within School buildings (Somerset Scientific Services)
• SIMS Support Service - eLIM
• Somerset Centre for Integrated Learning (SCIL)
• Somerset Outdoor & Residential Learning Service (SORLS)
• Somerset Partnership Teaching School
For more information on any of these services, please telephone 01823 348266, email
[email protected], or visit www.supportservicesforeducation.co.uk.
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Full List of SSE Services
• Special Educational Needs Assistive Technology Advisory Service (SENATAS)
• Support Services for Education
• The Key for School Leaders
• Time Together
• Trade Union Facilities Time Fund
• Tree Risk Management (NS)
• Vision Support Team
• Wessex Teaching School
For more information on any of these services, please telephone 01823 348266, email
[email protected], or visit www.supportservicesforeducation.co.uk.
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Contact Details
Contact details for each of our services can be found on the SSE website,
www.supportservicesforeducation.co.uk.
Contact Phone
Number Email
SSE 01823 348266 [email protected]
For queries concerning our website, ordering and to provide feedback on our services, please contact our Customer Care Team:
You can also find us on Twitter @SSEsomerset
More upcoming courses, covering all
of our services, can be found at
www.supportservicesforeducation.co.uk.
01823 356623
01823 357768
Sue Wheatley
James Britton
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