How Barnsley Virtual School Uses Welfare Call to Drive Data-Led Support for Vulnerable Learners
A case study with Tom, Virtual Headteacher for Looked After Children and Vulnerable Groups
At Barnsley Virtual School, ensuring every child receives the support they need at the right time is at the heart of everything they do. With growing demands, complex needs, and the pressure to deliver measurable outcomes, they needed a way to bring together key data in one place which is why they partnered with Welfare Call to help them achieve this goal.
Tom, Virtual Headteacher for Looked After Children and Vulnerable Groups, explains how their decision to adopt Welfare Call services – Attendance, ePEP, and Analytics – has made a significant difference across the school.
“I am fortunate to benefit from the full suite of services offered by Welfare Call, which include Attendance, PEP, and Analytics. This integrated, three-part approach has transformed our ability to connect attendance, behaviour, and PEP data within an easily digestible analytics program.”
A Joined-Up View of the Whole Child
What makes Barnsley’s approach stand out is its commitment to using connected data to inform support. By having attendance patterns, PEP insights, and behaviour trends all in one place, the team can make more informed decisions. Whether it’s understanding persistent absence across a particular year group or evaluating the effectiveness of interventions linked to PEP funding, the data doesn’t just sit there – it tells a story that leads to action.
“With the powerful insights from the analytics tool, I can conduct cohort analysis and deep dives, focusing precisely on areas of need.”
Everything From Individual Insight to Whole-School Strategy
One of the key benefits of Welfare Call’s platform is its flexibility. It supports the Virtual School in tracking progress from Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) through to Post-16, enabling a long-term view of each child’s journey.
With this full-picture view, Tom and his team can track trends, spot gaps, and tailor support as needed – especially around key transition points when children are most vulnerable.
“This whole-school perspective is particularly valuable during key transition periods, allowing us to proactively address students’ needs with data-led interventions.”
Supporting Professionals with Data-Informed Training
The impact of connected data doesn’t stop with direct support to students. It’s also being used to improve how teams work together. Barnsley Virtual School is now developing training and professional development based on what the data is telling them.
“The insights gained have also been instrumental in developing targeted, data-driven training and support for our broader professional teams.”
This shift to training that’s built on real, local data means that social workers, designated teachers, and school staff can focus on the areas that matter most – making CPD more relevant and impactful.
Cost-Efficiency and Real Results
Welfare Call’s ePEP system also helps Barnsley Virtual School track how Pupil Premium Plus funding is spent and, more importantly, what impact it’s having. That level of oversight has not only improved how the team allocates support but also helped secure cost efficiencies. It’s a powerful reminder that the right systems don’t just save time – they can also save money, allowing more funding to go directly towards improving children’s outcomes.
“Utilising the Welfare Call PEP system has enabled greater focus on PEP spending, which in turn has enabled the PEP system to be partly funded through cost savings.”
A Trusted Partner for Long-Term Impact
For Tom, the real value of Welfare Call lies in its ability to bring everything together: data, insight, collaboration, and action.
“Welfare Call has been essential in enabling a streamlined, cost-effective approach to managing our approach, delivering real results that contribute to the well-being and progress of our young people.”
By choosing a partner that understands the specific needs of Virtual Schools and vulnerable children, Barnsley has been able to move from reactive support to proactive, strategic planning, backed by evidence.