If you’ve heard people mention Martyn’s Law over the past year or so, you’re not alone if you’re still not entirely sure what it means for your school in practical terms. That’s fair, the legislation has moved slowly and quietly, and most of the noise around it has focused on large venues and events rather than education settings.
Here’s a clear, calm rundown of where things actually stand.
What’s happened so far
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act (known as Martyn’s Law, named for one of the 22 people who died in the Manchester Arena attack) received Royal Assent in 2025. Statutory guidance was published in April 2026, and enforcement is expected to begin from Spring 2027.
That gives an implementation period of at least 24 months from Royal Assent to prepare properly. It sounds like plenty of time and it is, if schools start now rather than waiting until closer to enforcement.
Does it apply to your school?
Early years settings, primary schools, secondary schools, and further education providers depending on their capacity will fall within the “Standard Tier” of the legislation. Whether you have 201 or 2000 pupils and staff on site the setting will be under “Standard tier”.
Standard Tier doesn’t mean elaborate new security systems or a fortress mentality. It means having clear, proportionate procedures in place, with roles properly allocated and staff trained to follow them calmly and confidently.
Even if a setting is below 200 and qualifying under Martyns Law the DFE guidance is to still have preparedness plans in place and your staff to be trained in these.
The gap most schools actually have
Having worked exclusively in education for over 24 years, the pattern I see in audits is rarely a lack of care. Schools take safety seriously. The gap is almost always something quieter: procedures that exist somewhere, but aren’t quite pinned down.
A few examples that come up again and again:
- Emergency contact lists that are a term or two out of date
- Response roles that are “shared” across senior leadership rather than clearly owned by one named person
- Staff who know a policy exists, but haven’t actually been walked through what it means for them in the moment
- Procedures that would work fine on paper, but haven’t been tested against how the site actually operates day to day
- How can we let staff know we are in lockdown
None of this is a criticism of any school, it’s simply what happens when there’s no dedicated time to sit down and close these gaps. Budgets, staffing changes, and the sheer pace of a school year all get in the way.
Practical first steps you can take
You don’t need external help to make meaningful progress. A few places to start:
- Name one person responsible for coordinating the response to a serious incident not “SLT,” a specific individual, with a named deputy.
- Check your emergency contact and escalation list is current, and that it reflects who’s actually on site this term.
- Walk through your lockdown and invacuation procedures with fresh eyes, would they hold up if staff were following them under real pressure, not just reading them calmly at a desk?
- Ask your staff directly whether they know their role in a fast-moving situation. If the answers vary, that’s your starting point.
- Identify your communication plan – how you will alert staff to a lockdown and how you communicate to staff the action to take
None of this needs to feel overwhelming. Martyn’s Law isn’t asking schools to reinvent their approach to safety, it’s asking for the clarity and ownership that turns good intentions into a plan that actually works when it’s needed.
If you’d like a structured way through it
We’ve built Martyn’s Law for Schools; a fully online, self-paced course designed specifically for education settings. It covers twelve practical video lessons across two parts, with downloadable templates, checklists, and a short mid-point knowledge check, so you’re not starting from a blank page.
It’s a standalone course, with no membership required, and you can work through it at your own pace, around the rest of the job.
