Navigating Martyn’s Law for Education Settings

Following the Royal Assent of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act, or Martyn’s Law, UK schools have begun preparing to comply with new campus safety preparedness and standards as outlined in the legislation. The law was named in honor of Martyn Hett, one of the 22 victims killed in the Manchester Arena terrorist attack in 2017. 

While the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act is Home Office led, the Department of Education (DfE) is also supporting the new policies for education settings, also viewed as a natural extension of the Prevent duty guidance and Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE).

Key Requirements

  • Martyn’s Law has established a tiered approach, in which education settings must follow: 

    • The Standard Tier applies to campuses that expect 200-799 individuals to be present. Most schools will fall into this category.

    • The Enhanced Tier applies to campuses expecting 800 or more learners, staff, or visitors present. This tier is more likely to apply to larger, higher education institutions.

  • Some education settings have special considerations and remain in the Standard Tier, regardless of their population size, in order to prioritize procedural preparedness, such as conducting lockdown drills, and to avoid using educational funding for costly physical components, like anti-shatter glass or vehicle barriers. These include:

    • Early Years

    • Primary and Secondary 

    • Further Education

    • DfE-funded Independent Training Providers

    • Privately owned Independent Training Providers do not have special consideration and the tier it falls in will depend on the number of individuals expected to be present.

    • Higher Education institutions do not have special consideration and will follow both the standard and enhanced tiered approach.

  • All settings within the scope of the Act must implement and document the following procedures:

    • Evacuation (moving people out of the premises)

    • Invacuation/Shelter-in-Place (bringing people into the premises)

    • Lockdown (securing the premises)

    • Communication (alerting people within the premises) 

    A responsible person (e.g. the Headteacher, Business Manager, or a member of the Governing Body) must be identified to oversee the premises, and notify the Security Industry Authority (SIA), as the regulator. 

    • The enhanced tier must appoint a designated senior individual (DSI), a person who is responsible for managing the responsible person, such as a director or partner.

    Finally, ensure that all staff and volunteers are trained on “See, Check, and Notify” (SCaN) protocols and the “4 Cs” (Confirm, Cleat, Control, and Communicate). 

Next Steps

Your school can work towards emergency preparedness and compliance by taking the following steps:

  1. Establish which tier your educational institution falls into.

  2. Gather school leadership to determine who will be nominated as the responsible person and/or DSI.

  3. Analyze your preparedness plan to identify areas for improvement and gaps in information, such as missing documentation for lockdown procedures.

  4. Evaluate your current security system. Your school may need to consider implementing access control, camera and CCTV systems, and mass notification solutions to reach your community quickly, such as distributing alerts via mobile apps or sharing critical notifications across audio-visual devices.

How Alertus Can Help

Martyn’s Law emphasizes the ability to assess risk, prepare, and communicate clearly during an incident. Alertus supports these requirements through integrated, multi-channel alerting that helps ensure messages reach everyone on-site when it matters most.


Alertus Solutions

  • Allow for rapid execution of predefined emergency plans with clear, scenario-specific instructions.

  • Empower staff to act quickly and confidently with intuitive, low-friction alert activation tools.

  • Deliver real-time, multi-channel communication to reach everyone on-site with clear, actionable instructions.

  • Support interoperability with public alerting standards and external response systems.

  • Provide a centralized, auditable platform to support ongoing compliance and readiness.


Together, we can:

  • Help you map how alerts are delivered across physical spaces.

  • Ensure coverage across indoor, outdoor, and high-traffic areas.

  • Support integration with existing infrastructure. 

Contact us to see how we can support your school in meeting the unique requirements of Martyn’s Law. 

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Kara Stamets