A GROUP of students at Ormiston Rivers Academy have been praised for their work trying to normalise taboo subjects with their peers.

The students, all in Key Stage 4, are part of a group called ReThink, They have been using mobile apps to help teach and raise awareness of subjects such as sexual and mental health and issues surrounding the LTBTQ+ community.

Their work has been supported by the Digital Health Schools Programme in Essex.

When members of the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Apps (ORCHA) came to the school to launch the programme, they met with ReThink about how the two initiatives could work together.

Miss Marable, a teacher of religious studies, citizenship and sociology at Ormiston, said: “It is really exciting to see how two such important initiatives have the potential to support each other and positively impact both the physical and psychological wellbeing of our students.”

Dr Muhammad Khan, medical advisor at ORCHA, continues: “There is such an exciting relationship here, and there is so much potential to make a real difference to the wellbeing of young people in the area.”

ReThink hope to raise more awareness for their work and find sustainable funding in order to increase their influence in Essex and beyond.

To find out more about ReThink or the Digital Healthy Schools Programme, contact hello@orcha.co.uk.