Sustainability

At the David Ross Education Trust, we are committed to building a greener, more sustainable future for our students, staff and communities. Every academy plays a part in reducing our environmental impact and inspiring young people to take positive action for the planet. On this page, you’ll find our school’s Climate Action Plan along with updates on projects and activities that showcase how we are putting sustainability into practice.

Academy Climate Action Plan

• Havelock Climate Action Plan Nov 25 download_for_offline
  download_for_offlineHavelock Climate Action Plan Nov 25

Recycling

• Recycling is important as it helps us sustain our planet for future generations to come.
• Reusing materials that can be recycled prevents more waste going to landfill or incineration, which generates harmful greenhouse gases!
• Many recyclable materials, like plastic bottles cause harm for wildlife.
• Turtles swallow straws and this can cause them to suffocate or starve to death.
• Plastics that contain chemicals can leech into soil/water, causing chemicals to contaminate our soil, damaging our food supply

Havelock has dedicated recycling units throughout various areas of the school site for plastics, food waste and paper/card which are clearly labelled. The academy also partners with local authorities and organisations to recycle harder-to-recycle items like batteries, mobile phones, printer cartridges and scrap metal. We teach our students the importance of their efforts through the curriculum, assemblies and lessons they receive.

We are in the process of creating a student-led committee to give students ownership of the recycling efforts and fostering leadership skills to link with our sustainability leadership group with more information to follow with projects and activities taking place soon.

What we do

• Our computers are set on timers to automatically shut down at the end of the school day.
• Our heating has efficient timings and temperatures set throughout each day to minimise unnecessary energy use.
• Our catering teams use only fairtrade ingredients in their dishes and serves vegan and vegetarian options daily, including plant-based options.

Pre-loved uniforms

Second hand uniform is an option for our families, with an independent Facebook page being available (not run by the school) for swaps and sales of Havelock and other local school uniform.

At the academy we also gratefully accept donations of second-hand uniform as students leave or grow out of it. This is then available to students from Student Services and from our Pastoral Manager, Mrs Thornton. Please contact Mrs Thornton at the academy on tthornton@havelockacademy.co.uk or via main reception.

Projects & Activities

Coming up: Walk/cycle/carpool Week

During Spring Term 2026, we will be encouraging all our students and staff to walk, cycle or carpool for an entire week. Reducing the number of car journeys not only reduces carbon emissions, but it also reduces congestion and air pollution making the community a healthier and more pleasant place to live.  Walking or cycling for just one day a week will also help to improve your fitness!

Previous activities: Switch Off Fortnight

The Switch Off Fortnight campaign for 2025 ran from November 10th to November 23rd. It's an annual energy-saving campaign for schools that empowers students to reduce energy use by switching off lights and appliances.

What is Switch Off Fortnight?

• It's a campaign that runs every November to help schools and students learn about energy use and saving energy.
• Schools commit to turning off unused appliances and lights for two weeks, aiming to reduce their energy consumption. 

Benefits

• Educational: Students learn about energy usage and its impact on the environment. 
• Practical: Schools can actively save energy and reduce their energy bills. 
• Environmental: Helps to tackle climate change by reducing energy waste