Sustainability at Thomas Deacon Education Trust 

We are committed to building a more sustainable future for our pupils, staff, academies and communities. Across Thomas Deacon Education Trust, we are taking practical action to reduce our environmental impact, improve our buildings and grounds, and help young people understand their role in responding to climate change. 

Our sustainability work is guided by our Climate Action Plan and our commitment to work towards net zero carbon emissions by 2030. 

Our sustainability commitments 

We know that academies have an important part to play in creating a cleaner, healthier and more resilient future. Our sustainability commitments are: 

  • Reduce carbon emissions across our academies and central operations. 

  • Improve energy efficiency and make better use of environmental data. 

  • Reduce waste, increase recycling and promote reuse wherever possible. 

  • Embed sustainability into procurement, catering, digital services and estates planning and transport. 

  • Support pupils to learn about climate change, sustainability and green skills. 

  • Improve biodiversity, air quality and access to nature across our sites. 

  • Work with pupils, staff, families, trustees, contractors and community partners to deliver meaningful change. 

How we are making change happen 

Our Trust-wide Sustainability Steering Group helps coordinate action across our academies. It supports academies to develop local initiatives, share good practice and monitor progress against our wider Climate Action Plan. 

Our work focuses on the areas where we can have the greatest impact: energy and carbon reduction, buildings and estates, waste and recycling, sustainable food, curriculum development, biodiversity and community engagement. 

Achievements so far 

We are proud of the progress already made across our Trust. These achievements give us a strong foundation for the next stage of our sustainability journey. 

  • Installed LED lighting across all buildings. 

  • Moved our energy supply to a 100% renewable tariff. 

  • Included sustainability requirements within our cleaning contract. 

  • Held Trust-wide Sustainability Conferences in 2024, 2025 and 2026. 

  • Improved waste management through recycling, food waste and battery bin provision. 

  • Supported catering enrichment through local food sourcing. 

  • Used VegWare in catering packaging. 

  • Started collecting waste and energy data to inform future decisions. 

  • Our catering and facilities team use electric vehicles 

Our roadmap 

Each academic year has a Trust-wide environmental theme to help focus activity and encourage academies to take practical action. Our planned themes include waste and recycling, energy, grounds and biodiversity, food, travel and climate. We will continue to review progress and develop our approach as our work grows.

Working together for a sustainable future 

Creating a sustainable future is a shared responsibility. By working together, we can reduce our environmental impact, improve the places where our pupils learn and grow, and inspire young people to make a positive difference in their communities and beyond. 

We will continue to share updates on our progress as we work towards our sustainability goals.