Martin’s Law for schools: Guide and checklist

Does Martyn’s Law apply to schools?

Anytime your school hosts an event with at least 200 people, Martyn’s Law will apply. However, its specific requirements will vary depending on the type of school you work in, as well as the crowd size. The bill includes two tiers:

• Standard Tier (200 – 799 people): This will apply to most schools. You’ll need to provide basic terrorism awareness training for staff, create a simple response plan and nominate a responsible person to oversee compliance.
• Enhanced Tier (800+ people): Larger schools, academies, colleges and universities might fall into this category. If your school is large in size, you’ll need to conduct more detailed risk assessments. You’ll also be responsible for implementing higher-level security measures, such as access control or improved communication systems, all while keeping documentation up to date for inspection.

In practice, Martyn’s Law is about taking proportionate, common-sense steps that build on the safeguarding work schools already do well.

Why schools need to prepare

It’s easy to think of Martyn’s Law as only something for stadiums or concert venues to worry about. However, schools are also community hubs, and regular events like parents’ evenings or award ceremonies can quickly push the number of attendees above that 200-person threshold.

Even when you’re not planning a big event, following the basic Martyn’s Law school guidelines makes sense. Here are a few reasons to take a look:

• School reputation: Parents put their trust in schools and expect them to be prepared for any risk that could arise. By showing them you have a plan in place, you’ll be able to help build this all-important trust.
• Legal compliance: Once the bill is live, all UK schools will need to comply whenever there are more than 200 people on-site. Even if you don’t have plans in place yet, early preparation prevents the last-minute stress of prepping for larger events.
• Peace of mind: A well-rehearsed plan helps all parties involved feel more confident and in control. When everyone knows their role, it reduces panic in the unlikely event of a real-life emergency.
• Wider readiness: The same actions will strengthen responses to fire, medical emergencies or other critical incidents.

As you can see, preparing for Martyn’s Law isn’t just about ticking a box. It’s about building trust and resilience, both within your school and in the wider community.

Martyn’s Law school requirements

Martyn’s Law has a special consideration in place for schools, which means that the vast majority will fall under the Standard Tier, even for events with over 800 people present. This exemption is in place for:

• Early years, primary, secondary and further education settings
• DfE-funded independent training providers

However, when independent training providers are privately owned, the exemption won’t apply. Higher education establishments, such as colleges and universities, must also follow enhanced tier regulations if they’re planning events with over 800 people.

Standard Tier (most schools)

• Provide terrorism awareness training: Typically consists of short online modules integrated into wider safeguarding materials.
• Write a clear response plan: This outlines evacuation, invacuation and lockdown procedures.
• Nominate responsible persons: The school’s responsible person will usually be the Headteacher, School Business Manager or Designated Safeguarding Lead. This person is responsible for making sure plans are managed and followed.

Enhanced Tier (larger settings)

• Conduct detailed risk assessments: A thorough risk assessment identifies potential risks and outlines mitigation steps.
• Strengthen security measures: This includes proportionate upgrades, such as improvements to access control, visitor management or reliable communication tools.
• Maintain documentation: How will you store your plans? All readiness plans must be reviewed regularly and available for inspection.

For most schools, compliance will mean formalising what you already do in safeguarding and emergency planning.

Practical steps to follow

Preparing doesn’t have to be complicated. You can start small and build from there using these simple steps:

• Check your events calendar. Do you have any gatherings in the pipeline that will bring more than 200 people on site?
• Nominate your school lead. Who will be in charge? Decide who will take on Martyn’s Law compliance to avoid any confusion in an emergency.
• Add Martyn’s Law education to your training schedule. Implement terrorism awareness into your usual professional development planning.
• Update your emergency plan. Align fire drills, lockdowns and terrorism response into one clear playbook.
• Review your systems. Do you have the technology in place to support a quick and safe response? This could include things like:
  • Access control to secure parts of the site
  • Security camera systems to observe entrances and exits
  • Visitor management systems to see who is on site
  • Mass notification tools to reach staff, parents and pupils fast

Here’s a quick test. If you were hosting a sold-out school play tomorrow night, and something unexpected happened, would every member of staff know what to do? Would your team know how to keep your community safe?

Martyn’s Law timeline and costs

This act became law on 3 April 2025, but a two-year implementation period is underway before it’s enforced. That means schools have until 2027 to ease into compliance with the new Martyn’s Law education guidelines.

• Standard Tier: Costs should be minimal, mostly involving a few short staff training sessions and some leadership time spent drafting or updating your school’s emergency plans.
• Enhanced Tier: Larger settings may face higher costs, such as commissioning a professional risk assessment, investing in consultancy support or upgrading your security and communication systems.

The smart move is to budget a small amount now, even if it’s just to help plan for training and development, to avoid a last-minute scramble later. Early preparation also means your school benefits from stronger emergency readiness straight away.

Aligning Martyn’s Law with other requirements

Martyn’s Law fits neatly into what schools already do:

• KCSIE obligations: It reinforces the statutory duty to keep children safe.
• Safeguarding and emergency planning: Most schools already run fire drills and lockdowns. Martyn’s Law just extends this emergency planning to include terrorism.
• Ofsted expectations: Ofsted inspectors look for a strong culture of safeguarding in schools. Demonstrating compliance with Martyn’s Law strengthens this evidence.

Seen in this light, Martyn’s Law isn’t ​“one more thing” to add onto the pile, but a real chance to build on your existing safeguarding culture and take charge with strong leadership.

Conclusion

Martyn’s Law for schools entails calm, thoughtful planning and preparedness. As a school leader, you already put effort into safeguarding. The new requirements are simply an extension of all your hard work.

By starting early, you’ll get ahead of the pack to demonstrate real leadership. Plus, you’ll have actionable, concrete ways to reassure parents about their children’s safety. A few common-sense steps, such as implementing awareness training and updating your existing response plans, help build a school-wide culture of resilience.

This means your school will not only comply with Martyn’s Law but also be better prepared to protect staff, pupils and visitors should the unexpected happen.

Martyn’s Law: Education leaders’ checklist

A practical guide for UK schools, academies, colleges and universities to help you get started

1. Confirm your tier

• Early years, primary, secondary & FE: always Standard Tier (regardless of size)
• Higher education: 200 – 799 capacity = Standard Tier; 800+ = Enhanced Tier
• <200 capacity = out of scope, but best practice is still encouraged

2. Identify your school’s responsible person

• The governing body, trust or local authority will be legally responsible
• Enhanced Tier schools must appoint a Designated Senior Individual (DSI) to lead and document compliance

3. Core requirements (Standard Tier)

• Terrorism protection training for staff (short online modules)
• A basic response plan covering evacuation, invacuation and lockdown
• Named staff responsible for activating plans and liaising with police/​emergency services
• Notify the Security Industry Authority (SIA) of your school’s event premises

4. Enhanced Tier additions (HE and large schools)

• Create a formal risk assessment and written security plan
• Document everyone’s roles, responsibilities and communication chains
• Provide evidence of regular reviews, drills and updates
• DSI must keep records available for inspection

5. Practical steps your school can take

• Map your events: Anything with 200+ attendees, like parents’ evenings, plays, sports days
• Create a go-to playbook: Include evacuation routes, lockdown rooms, PA/​radio signals
• Train staff: Plan a terrorism awareness briefing into your usual safeguarding or CPD
• Run one drill per term: Plan age-appropriate drills, logged afterwards with lessons learned
• Plan for inclusion: Make adjustments for SEND pupils and those with medical needs
• Engage your volunteers: Keep governors and PTA helpers informed with event briefings

6. Integration with existing duties

• Link with Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), Prevent, fire and critical incident plans
• Keep all emergency procedures in a single, easy-to-find folder (digital and paper)
• Ensure visitor management, CCTV and access control are covered by existing GDPR/​Data Protection policies

7. Governance and evidence

• Maintain a readiness log with things like staff training dates, drills and debrief notes
• Update the governing body/​MAT board annually on Martyn’s Law compliance
• Inform your insurance company if changes will affect your school’s risk profile

8. Technology and communications

• Test your PA, radios and MIS alerts for reliability under pressure
• Plan manual fallbacks (paper registers, megaphones) in case of a power/​cyber outage
• Make sure doors and access points support your planned evacuation and lockdown procedures

9. External links and support

• Register for ProtectUK and use NaCTSO training materials
• Monitor updates from DfE, Home Office and SIA throughout the 24-month Martyn’s Law implementation period
• Network with local authority emergency planning, police and Protect officers