School leaders already carry enormous responsibility — safeguarding, compliance, wellbeing, and academic standards. Martyn’s Law introduces another expectation, but it is not about panic or turning schools into high-security environments. It is about preparedness.
The legislation is set to influence how education settings approach safety, and many leaders are still asking what it really means in practice.
- Is this simply another compliance requirement?
- Will new security equipment be necessary?
- Does it fundamentally change lockdown procedures?
Well, it focuses specifically on preparedness for serious violent threats in publicly accessible spaces, including education settings. But the real challenge is understanding what this actually requires, what is proportionate, and how to prepare without overwhelming staff or budgets.
This guide breaks down what Martyn’s Law means for schools and colleges - clearly, practically, and without legal jargon.
Why Does Martyn's Law Exist?
Across the world, schools, colleges, stadiums, and public venues share a difficult reality: open access to people also creates open access to potential threats. Martyn’s Law, formally the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, was introduced to ensure publicly accessible places take proportionate, proactive steps to reduce the risk of terrorism and improve preparedness.
While Martyn’s Law is UK legislation, its purpose reflects a global shift in how governments expect organizations to approach public safety, including lessons deeply felt in the United States.
The law is named in honour of Martyn Hett, one of the 22 people killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena attack, a tragedy that revealed gaps in how venues planned for and responded to active threats.
Security plans often focused on fire safety or crowd control, but not on how to identify, deter, or respond to a terrorist threat. The attack exposed the cost of fragmented responsibility.
Rather than relying solely on emergency responders after an incident, Martyn’s Law shifts responsibility toward prevention and readiness, making security planning and staff training part of everyday operations.
Since then, Western nations, including the U.S., have faced persistent threats to publicly accessible spaces. Federal agencies continue to warn that schools and public venues remain potential targets. The conversation has moved from “if” to “when” and, more importantly, “are we prepared?”
Martyn’s Law exists to formalize preparedness. It places a legal duty on venue operators to assess risks, train staff, and implement proportionate protective measures.
For schools and education settings, the law embodies the principle that safeguarding extends beyond fire drills and lockdown routes. It now includes structured risk assessment, planning, and staff empowerment to reduce harm before incidents occur.
Does Martyn's Law Apply to Your School?
Martyn’s Law applies to publicly accessible premises based on their capacity, and most education settings will fall within scope. Under the legislation, premises are divided into tiers based on capacity - Standard Tier and Enhanced Tier.
- Locations that can hold 200 to 799 people fall under the Standard Tier.
- Those with a capacity of over 800 people typically fall into the Enhanced Tier.
However, there is an important distinction for education settings: childcare providers, schools, and further education colleges, even if their capacity exceeds 800, are classified within the Standard Tier. Higher education institutions may fall under different requirements depending on size and use.
For schools within scope, the focus is not on expensive structural upgrades. The Standard Tier centers on preparedness. Schools will need to notify the regulator (the Security Industry Authority) and demonstrate that they have “reasonably practicable” procedures in place. This includes clear, workable plans for:
- Evacuation
- Invacuation
- Lockdown
- Emergency communication
Schools will also be required to register with the designated regulator and confirm that these procedures are in place.
The goal of Martyn’s Law reflects a shift in government strategy: protecting people in everyday spaces rather than just high-profile venues. While there may be no specific threat to the education sector, schools are high-footfall, publicly accessible environments. Effective planning for terrorism also strengthens readiness for other serious incidents, from intruders to violent confrontations.
Even if your site falls below the threshold, aligning with these principles strengthens safeguarding and resilience.
What Martyn’s Law Will Require Schools to Do?
Martyn’s Law does not require schools to turn into fortified buildings. It requires something more practical - clear, workable procedures that staff understand and can act on immediately.
Under Martyn’s Law, schools within the Standard Tier must have clear, proportionate procedures in place to reduce harm during a terrorist incident. These center around four core responses: evacuation, invacuation, lockdown, and communication. The focus is not on complexity, but clarity.
The Four Core Procedures
- Evacuation: Evacuation involves moving students, staff, and visitors away from danger to a safer location. This may mean leaving a building entirely or relocating to a designated assembly area. Plans should identify multiple exit routes, alternative muster points, and contingencies if usual routes are blocked. Consideration must also be given to pupils with mobility needs and how registers will be accounted for.
- Invacuation: Invacuation is the process of bringing everyone inside and securing the building when a threat exists outside the perimeter. This often applies during incidents in the surrounding community. Procedures should outline who secures entrances, how external areas are cleared quickly, and how late arrivals are managed safely.
- Lockdown: Lockdown applies when a threat is on-site or inside a building. This requires securing rooms, restricting movement, and minimizing visibility. Schools should define what staff are expected to do at classroom level, locking doors, closing blinds, moving students away from sightlines without waiting for further instruction.
- Communication: Communication underpins all three responses. Schools must be able to issue clear, rapid instructions across the entire site. This includes internal alerts to staff and students, as well as coordination with emergency services. Backup communication methods should be identified in case primary systems fail.
Together, these four procedures form the operational backbone of Martyn’s Law compliance in education settings.
Rather than adopting generic, template-driven plans, schools will need to review their existing procedures through the lens of serious violence and terrorism. In a fast-moving incident, complex command structures often collapse. Every member of staff must understand their role and feel empowered to act without waiting for perfect information.
Lockdown planning, in particular, should reflect the school’s environment. A useful way to structure thinking is by threat proximity:
- A threat beyond the perimeter
- A threat on school grounds
- A threat inside a building
Each scenario demands different actions for securing perimeters, buildings, or individual rooms and different communication responses.
Finally, plans must be tested and refined. Drills, tabletop exercises, and scenario walkthroughs help ensure procedures work at different times of day, including break periods and arrival or dismissal times. Martyn’s Law raises expectations but ultimately strengthens safeguarding across the education sector.
What "Reasonably Practicable" Means for Schools
“Reasonably practicable” is a key phrase in Martyn’s Law, and it does not mean doing everything possible at any cost. It means taking sensible, proportionate steps based on the level of risk and the realities of your setting.
For schools, this involves balancing three factors:
- The likelihood of an incident occurring
- The potential seriousness of harm
- The time, effort, and cost of implementing protective measures
If a risk is credible and the impact could be severe, schools are expected to act. However, the law does not require measures that are grossly disproportionate to the level of threat. For example, extensive structural upgrades may not be necessary if procedural improvements and staff training effectively reduce vulnerability.
The starting point is a clear risk assessment. Schools must understand their site layout, access points, visitor patterns, and communication systems. From there, they can decide what practical steps — such as updated lockdown protocols or improved alert systems, are appropriate.
The goal is proportionate preparedness, not excessive security.
When Does Martyn's Law Compliance Become Mandatory?
Martyn’s Law received Royal Assent in April 2025, but compliance will not be immediate. A proposed two-year implementation period has been built in to allow organisations, including schools and education providers, time to understand their duties, review procedures, and put proportionate measures in place.
During this preparation window, statutory guidance is expected to clarify practical expectations. Once the implementation period concludes, compliance will become mandatory for premises that fall within scope. Oversight and enforcement will sit with the Security Industry Authority (SIA), which will act as the regulator. The SIA will have powers to request evidence of compliance, conduct inspections, and issue penalties where organisations fail to meet their obligations.
For schools, this means preparation should begin now rather than waiting for formal enforcement. Reviewing emergency procedures, documenting risk assessments, training staff, and strengthening communication systems are all steps that can be taken during this transitional period.
The purpose of the phased approach is not to penalise, but to ensure settings have a realistic time to properly embed procedures, so that compliance becomes part of operational safeguarding, not a last-minute exercise.
How Martyn's Law Differs from Existing Fire Safety and Safeguarding Duties
Schools already operate under strong legal frameworks for fire safety and safeguarding. Martyn’s Law does not replace these; it adds a new dimension focused specifically on terrorism and hostile threats.
Here’s how it differs:
- Fire safety addresses accidental risks, such as electrical faults or building fires, with clear evacuation procedures and equipment checks.
- Safeguarding focuses on protecting pupils from abuse, neglect, exploitation, and welfare concerns.
- Martyn’s Law addresses intentional acts of violence in publicly accessible spaces, particularly terrorism.
While procedures such as evacuation and lockdown may overlap, the intentions differ. Martyn’s Law requires schools to view these responses through a counter-terrorism lens — asking how the site would respond to a deliberate, fast-moving attack rather than an accidental emergency.
The Role of Technology in Martyn's Law Compliance
Martyn’s Law focuses on procedures, but technology plays a crucial role in making those procedures workable in real time. In a fast-moving incident, clarity and speed matter more than paperwork.
- Real-Time Emergency Communication: Schools must be able to issue clear instructions instantly. Integrated alert systems, digital signage, PA systems, and mobile notifications allow leadership teams to push evacuation, invacuation, or lockdown instructions across the entire site within seconds. Unlike static signage, digital systems can display location-specific instructions and update as situations evolve.
- Crowd Management and Wayfinding: In large campuses, managing movement is critical. Digital displays and live messaging can direct pupils and staff to safe areas, reduce congestion, and prevent panic during high-pressure moments. Technology supports orderly flow rather than confusion.
- Training and Ongoing Awareness: Preparedness is not just about emergencies. Screens and internal communication systems can reinforce safety messaging year-round, reminding staff of procedures and helping students understand what to expect without causing alarm.
- Integrated Security Ecosystems: Technology becomes most effective when systems connect. CCTV, access control, digital signage, and alert platforms working together create a coordinated response environment rather than isolated tools. This supports faster decisions and clearer situational awareness.
The Law does not mandate specific products, but it does require effective communication, coordination, and preparedness. Thoughtfully integrated systems can strengthen compliance while enhancing everyday safeguarding.
How Coram Supports Schools with Martyn's Law Preparedness
Martyn’s Law is ultimately about readiness. Not just having policies written down, but being able to act quickly, communicate clearly, and understand what is happening across your site in real time. That is where integrated technology can make a meaningful difference.
Smarter Use of Existing Cameras
Many schools already have CCTV in place. The challenge is not adding more cameras; it is using them intelligently. Coram’s AI-powered video search allows staff to find specific moments in seconds using plain-language descriptions.
Instead of manually reviewing hours of footage, administrators can search for descriptions like “student with blue backpack” or “vehicle near main gate” and immediately retrieve relevant clips. During or after an incident, this reduces delay and supports faster, informed decision-making.
If a concern escalates, tools like Journey tracking help reconstruct movement across multiple cameras. On larger campuses, where events unfold between buildings or outdoor areas, this creates a clearer operational picture without relying on guesswork.
Real-Time Threat Awareness
For higher-risk scenarios, real-time gun detection adds another layer of visibility. By analyzing live video feeds, the system can alert designated staff if a visible firearm is detected, enabling rapid verification and response in line with lockdown procedures. Importantly, this works alongside existing infrastructure rather than requiring a complete overhaul.
Additional proactive safety is achieved through intelligent productivity alerts such as trespassing detection, loitering monitoring, crowd awareness, and line-crossing notifications. These features can help identify developing risks before they escalate, reinforcing perimeter security and supporting invacuation or lockdown decisions.
Coordinated Communication & Emergency Management
Martyn’s Law requires schools to respond quickly and communicate clearly during serious incidents. That only works if systems are connected.
Coram’s emergency management system brings alerts, live video, and response workflows into one platform. When an incident occurs, leadership teams can:
- Trigger lockdown or invacuation notifications
- Share live camera feeds with responders
- Coordinate staff communication in real time
- Automatically log actions for review
Instead of switching between separate systems, decision-makers operate from a single dashboard. This supports faster response, clearer communication, and documented accountability, all essential under Martyn’s Law.
Access Control with Real-Time Context
Access control integration further strengthens preparedness, and lockdown procedures depend on the ability to secure buildings and monitor access instantly.
Coram links door events, such as forced entry, denied credentials, or propped doors, directly with video footage. This allows staff to see what is happening rather than react to alerts without context.
Access schedules and role-based permissions reduce everyday vulnerabilities, while integrated visibility supports perimeter security and internal building control during escalating threats.
Martyn’s Law does not require specific technologies, but it does require effective procedures. By connecting monitoring, communication, and response into one ecosystem, Coram helps schools turn preparedness from a written obligation into a coordinated, practical reality.
Final Takeaway
Martyn’s Law is not about turning schools into fortresses. It is about making sure that when the unthinkable happens, there is clarity instead of confusion. At its core, the legislation centres around four practical procedures —
- Evacuation
- Invacuation
- Lockdown
- Communication
Together, these principles help schools think through how they would protect pupils, staff, and visitors during a serious violent incident.
For education settings, this brings structure and confidence. It encourages proportionate planning, regular review, and realistic testing, not fear, but preparedness.
Technology can make those procedures workable in real time. By integrating video monitoring, access control, intelligent alerts, and emergency communication into a single coordinated system, platforms like Coram help schools move from written plans to practical action.
Martyn’s Law raises the standard. The goal is not compliance alone; it is safer, more resilient learning environments where preparedness supports peace of mind for staff, students, and families alike.
