ABSTRACT
An important aspect of belonging is feeling that there is space for you, a place where you feel accepted, included and recognised. Beyond the family home, school may be a key place where children and young people with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD) feel a sense of belonging. However, the relationships classroom staff develop with their pupils and students exist within a hierarchical framework of assessment and monitoring and are guided by ideas of pupil improvement, achievement and progress. In her recent doctoral study within a school for pupils with PMLD, Jill Goodwin created a space where staff could temporarily step outside of this framework and encounter pupils in different ways. Golden Tent is an immersive and sensorial installation designed to highlight our joint sensory beingness. Staff and pupils were invited to simply ‘be’ together in the space, free from reductionist educational objectives. In this chapter, Jill discusses aspects of the study and considers the importance of physical and conceptual spaces in relation to belonging.
