title: Emotional labour: the perceptions and experiences of senior leaders in autism specific special schools in England
Creators: name: Sherwood, Sarah
Publisher: name: University of Reading
Year: 2022

description: This thesis explores the perceptions and experiences of emotional labour of a group of senior 
leaders in autism specific special schools in the south of England. Whilst there has been 
research on the impacts of emotional labour for teachers working in general Special 
Educational Needs (SEN) settings, previous studies have not dealt with the emotional labour 
of senior leaders in autism specialist schools. There is a recognised need, therefore, for this 
original research study which aims to examine emotional labour through the lens of senior 
leaders in a specialist provision. 
Three schools participated in the study, with three senior leaders from each school being 
interviewed. An interpretivist approach was followed, which allowed for a more open and 
flexible approach exploring the diverse perceptions and experiences of participants. with 
individual interviews allowing for participant voices to be heard in this under researched area. 
Data analysis was inductive and iterative, following a thematic analysis method, with key 
themes identified from the data. 
This is the first time that such a study has taken place, with the main findings indicating 
senior leaders in participant schools experienced ongoing daily emotional labour as a result of 
their interactions with a range of stakeholders, including students, staff, parents, governors 
and members of the local community. It appears that it is the ongoing nature of these 
relationships which has the greatest impact on participant senior leaders, with many reporting 
both physical and well-being effects from their interactions with stakeholders. The size of 
the schools, with their limited management structure is also a contributing factor, as the 
senior leaders reported being the first point of contact for stakeholders, with resultant impacts 
on their emotional labour. The distinct lack of continuing professional development and 
support was a further factor contributing to the high levels of emotional labour reported. 
However, participants had discovered a range of strategies to facilitate their day-to-day 
management of emotional labour, including physical exercise, surface and deep acting, and 
adopting a persona. An uplifting element reported by participants were a range of restorative 
factors which they posited compensated for the emotional labour engaged in, and these were 
mainly centred on student progression.
It is evidently clear from the findings that as a starting point, teacher professional 
development programmes incorporate the concept of emotional labour. These findings also 
provide a solid evidence base for those engaging in senior leadership roles in autism specific 
special schools or units attached to a mainstream school with a similar student cohort to the 
schools in this study, to undertake a robust continuing professional development and support 
programme. Finally, the provision of safe spaces or a forum where these senior leaders can 
talk openly using emotional labour concepts is recommended. The findings presented in this 
thesis add a unique element to our understanding of emotional labour in autism specialist 
provisions.