ABSTRACT
Functioning is key to the Capabilities Approach because it implies both the full ability to do something one is capable of doing and to be someone one is capable of being, but also not doing or being these things if the individual so chooses. Reference to a Capabilities Approach suggests that children should be seen as 'becomings', with adults ensuring that decisions made during childhood do not have adverse future consequences. But 'becomings' implies a growth towards fully fledged being; when do those with severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties become a being rather than a becoming? The regular classroom consisted generally of a teacher and two support staff to six or seven students, with at least one additional one-to-one member of staff allocated to each of the seven. The curriculum offered was based broadly on a National Curriculum model, but highly differentiated to take account of the level of learning difficulty at the school.
