The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 became law on 3 April 2025. It is commonly known as ‘Martyn’s Law’, in honour of Martyn Hett, one of the 22 people killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena/Ariana Grande concert terrorist attack.
Martyn’s Law requires those responsible for certain premises and events to consider how they would respond to a terrorist attack and consider appropriate steps to reduce their vulnerabilities. The Government intends for there to be an implementation period of at least 24 months prior to its enforcement, so you only have a short while to understand the details of the Act and what this may mean for your school.
The aim is to be prepared and not scared.
Does this apply to your school?
The act applies where it is reasonable for venues to expect at least 200 individuals (or more) to be present. This is a fluctuating target and so can include both pupils and staff as the base line, but also includes visitors to the school for one off events. It is easy to see that the 200 individuals number could soon be met, even in a relatively small school, when for example, Christmas events or school plays are on. School Leadership Teams should therefore consider such factors as their fire safety limits, visitor logs, number of tickets provided for any event, as to whether their building could accommodate over 200 people.
Premises are grouped into tiers. Any venue that can reasonably expect 200 or more people will fall into either the standard or enhanced tier.
Standard – applies to premises that can reasonably expect between 200 to 799 individuals to be present.
Enhanced – applies to premises that expect 800 or more individuals to be present.
However, there are special considerations in place for premises used for early years, primary, secondary or further education. These premises will remain in the standard tier even if 800 or more individuals are expected to be present. Department for Education funded independent training providers will also benefit from the special consideration.
However, privately owned independent training providers will not fall under the special consideration. These providers will be treated the same as other premises in scope of the act and their tier will depend on the number of individuals reasonably expected to be present.
What your school will need to do to comply with the act
All settings within scope of the legislation will need to have in place, so far as is reasonably practicable, public protection procedures. This includes:
- evacuation (to get people out of the premises)
- invacuation (to move people to a safe place)
- lockdown (to secure premises against attackers)
- communication (to alert people on premises to the danger)
All settings within scope of the act will have a responsible person and must notify the Security Industry Authority, as the regulator.
What should your school be doing now?
- Review events and venues
Take stock of which events you hold each year and which parts of the school are most vulnerable when large events occur.
- Review access to premises
Consider your settings specific vulnerabilities, such as unsecured entrances and consider safe places within and outside your setting.
- Update your emergency planning
Schools are already obliged to have strong safeguarding policies, together with health and safety practices, in order to comply with Keeping Children Safe in Education. So consider how these can be updated and improved to take into account the different scenarios which may present themselves. The non-statutory guidance Protective security and preparedness for the education sector provides a good starting point for you to tailor to the particular needs of your setting. Emergency planning and response for education, childcare, and children’s social care settings – GOV.UK also provides more specific advice for SEND and specialist settings. Check whether these apply to your setting.
- Staff
Nominate a Security Lead who is responsible for coordinating and overseeing your settings’ protective security and preparedness.
Understand who your Incident Leads should be in the event of a security event occurring.
Provide training to all staff members to understand the nature of the risk, how this will be communicated and how they should respond if they are safe to do so.
- Parental engagement
Notify parents of the new law and what your school is doing to comply with it.
- Test your emergency planning
School children are well used to having fire drills and understanding evacuation procedures, but how will they deal with a school lockdown or invacuation process?
If you think your school is out of scope for fewer than 200 people
Schools are still encouraged to have preparedness plans for the safety of their learners and staff in accordance with Keeping Children Safe in Education and Health and Safety Regulations. Regular evaluation of these will need to be undertaken.
Enforcement
The Security Industry Authority (SIA) will have a regulatory function. It will seek to support, advise and guide those responsible for premises and events in meeting the requirements of this legislation.
In the case of serious or persistent non-compliance, enforcement action can include compliance notices, monetary penalties and restriction notices. The legislation also includes some criminal offences.
So, a lot for schools to think about and prepare for over the next few months. Will your school be ready?
If you need support or have any questions, do not hesitate to contact our expert Education Law team.
