Leadership for care and support in teaching and learning: stories of four primary school teachers in deprived contexts.

Abstract

In South African primary schools located in underprivileged areas, teachers are often expected to provide care and support in addition to academic instruction to meet the diverse social and emotional needs of their learners. Despite the crucial role that this kind of leadership plays, little empirical research has been conducted on how teachers perceive and implement careoriented leadership in settings with limited resources. This study examines the lived experiences of four primary school teachers who oversee and practice care and support education in underprivileged settings. The study employed a qualitative, narrative inquiry design guided by Servant Leadership Theory, collecting data through collage inquiry and narrative interviews. The narratives of the participants were subjected to thematic analysis in order to shed light on their conceptions of their duties, the factors that support or hinder their leadership, and the strategies they use to maintain support and care in their classrooms. The findings show that teachers serve as nurturers, advocates, facilitators of social-emotional learning, collaborators, and lifelong learners. Their leadership is hampered by excessive workloads, scarce resources, and structural injustices, but it is bolstered by professional development, positive school cultures, and supportive school leadership. Teachers exhibit resilience, autonomy, and inventiveness in the face of these difficulties, and supported through personal faith and by modifying trauma-informed and community-based strategies to support the well-being of their learners. The study concludes that an ethical and transformational practice at the heart of inclusive education is teacher leadership for care and support. It emphasises the necessity of institutional cultures that foster caring and supportive policy implementation, as well as context-sensitive professional development, enabling teachers to lead with moral purpose and empathy. The study recommends practical, context-responsive strategies to strengthen teachers’ leadership for care and support through targeted professional development, structured emotional and peer support systems, formalised community engagement roles, and school-wide innovation initiatives that bridge the gap between policy intentions and classroom realities in under-resourced contexts.In addition to offering valuable insights for teacher development and policy improvement in schools with limited resources, the study contributes to the broader conversation on compassionate and inclusive leadership in education.