Support Services for Education

Support Services for Education is an online portal operated by Somerset Council that provides a wide range of traded services and training to schools and other education establishments. Through its “Purchase & Access” area, the portal offers buy-in services grouped under categories such as children, leadership, business and management, buildings and facilities, and SEND and inclusion. These services include specialist support for ethnic minority achievement, careers education through the Somerset Careers Hub, outdoor education advice, property and estates support, HR administration, and other operational and leadership services targeted at schools and academies. The linked Somerset Council Training Portal provides access to training and events relevant to school staff, including safeguarding, early years practice, SEND, and leadership-focused continuing professional development. While the site references training and career progression pathways in early years, childcare and education, it does not describe or promote any specific apprenticeship standards or apprenticeship programmes. The platform is designed primarily as a traded services and CPD hub for education settings rather than as an apprenticeship training provider.