About The Fidget Project
Why was the Fidget Project started?
The Fidget Project started as a Community Initiative and is becoming a registered Community Interest Company (CIC), not-for-profit organisation. It was developed and created by Lynne Tarrab-Snooks and Helen-Jane Ridgeway.
We began noticing the rise in the numbers of primary school-aged children who are being excluded from learning and school settings on the grounds of misbehaving or poor behaviour. We want educational staff to understand why children with Sensory Processing Differences behave in the ways they do and in looking for ways to help we found a gap in the approach taken towards certain children. If given specific support, we know these pupils can flourish and enhance their educational outcomes, rather than be seen as simply problematic.
We decided to see what could be done to assist our local schools, and the individuals who currently work so hard to make learning accessible for all. Many schools nationwide are struggling with staffing numbers, budget restrictions, and through no fault of their own, a general lack of understanding surrounding SPD. So, we decided to use our combined decades of experience in the fields of education and psychotherapy to create a project that has the long-term potential to benefit countless Special Educational Needs and Disabilities children and families in England’s South West.
Our team
Lynne Tarrab-Snooks
I have worked in the world of education and therapy for decades. Nearly 30 years ago, I co-created, with three other committed women, a training and assessment programme for schools called The Thrive Approach ™. School was a sanctuary for me as a child and I have always wanted to do my best to support state education. Since having a wonderful son who is diagnosed as having an Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC), I have been learning so much more about Special Educational Needs and, in particular, Sensory Processing Differences.
I have worked as a primary, secondary, and community teacher, an adviser and Authority Inspector in schools, an OFSTED inspector, and an international Consultant for Human Rights Education in Estonia and Latvia; a Wellbeing Consultant for School Improvement and Inclusion for ISEIC (International School Effectiveness and Improvement Centre) and CELSI (Centre for Education Leadership and School Improvement) and the Council of Europe. I am a retired Integrative Psychotherapist M.Sc., with practices in London and Devon.
I co-wrote the first MA course in Emotional Literacy for Children for the Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education/Centre for Child Mental Health (IATE/CCMH) and as Education Officer, I set up the original education project for the Minority Rights Group with Nikki van Der Gaag.
One heartfelt priority for me now, is to improve the provision for children with Sensory Processing Differences so that the brilliance, talents, and perspectives of children, like my son, can be recognised and supported in schools.
Helen-Jane Ridgeway
I am first, and always, a dancer and a mover, and I was a ‘fidgety’ child. I’m a qualified Integrative Psychotherapist, MSc, a registered and accredited Advanced Sensorimotor Psychotherapist & Consultant, a Trauma Specialist & Supervisor, a Movement & Expressive Arts Therapist & Educator. I am the Clinical Director of Tamalpa UK, a Movement & Expressive Arts Approach & Training, originated by Anna & Daria Halprin. I specialise in somatic and sensory-motor approaches to health, wellbeing, and education.
Some of my previous experience includes setting up an emotional literacy educational engagement program for pupils who had been excluded from schools in the borough of Richmond Upon Thames. This programme ran successfully for several years & supported many pupils in the Richmond area who had previously been excluded from education. I also set up a counselling service in collaboration with City & Hackney Drug & Alcohol Service.
I work as a lecturer, trainer, and supervisor for master's degrees in Psychotherapy, Psychology & Coaching, lecturing at higher-learning institutes, including Metanoia Institute, Minster Center, Regents College, Holloway University, and Middlesex University. I love sharing knowledge, support curiosity and growth, and open possibilities for learning for all ages. I currently have a private psychotherapy and coaching practice, specialising in working with trauma.
Today, I live in West Alvington and continue to mix my therapeutic work with physical movement as a choreographer, dancer, and Somatic Awareness Yoga Attunement Practitioner.
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Your support can help us reach more children and families in need. Together, we can create a positive impact and empower those with special needs.
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