Nathan Emmerich on how Martyn’s Law will apply to education

The introduction of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 marked a significant step forward for protective security in the UK. Its passage and eventual enforcement will make public settings such as schools and colleges better prepared in how they respond to a potential terror attack. 

The legislation, informally known as Martyn’s Law, is the first-of-its-kind in the world. While Martyn’s Law will not prevent a terrorist attack from happening, it will mandate legal requirements for premises with a capacity greater than 200 people to consider the terrorist threat and to implement measures to reduce the impact of an attack.

Despite many schools and colleges technically meeting the threshold for the Enhanced Tier requirements (capacity greater than 800 people), the legislation sets out that education settings will only adhere to Standard Tier requirements, regardless of capacity. This is because of the security requirements already in place in many larger schools and colleges, and because Martyn’s Law is designed to be proportionate by not placing undue burdens, including costs, on venues where significant infrastructure and protocols are already in place. 

Requirements set out under Standard Tier threshold include notification of compliance with the Security Industry Authority (SIA), allocating a ‘responsible person’, and implementing protection procedures such as lockdown, evacuation, invacuation, and communication plans. The full details of what is required can be found on the Home Office website here.  

The UK threat picture

We know that it’s not a case of if, but a case of when an attack is going to happen. 

While we’ve not yet experienced a terrorist attack at a school or college in the UK, the recent terror attacks on the Heaton Park Synagogue and the Hatzala ambulances highlight that specific groups are being targeted. 

The UK’s terrorism threat level is currently set at ‘substantial’ meaning an attack is likely to happen at any moment. The impact of geopolitical conflicts have been felt acutely in communities across the UK with an increase in people parading extremist symbolism on our streets and a concerning rise in misinformation spreading online. 

Official Home Office statistics show record increases in the number of race and religiously motivated hate crimes, whilst the Department’s Prevent statistics for the year ending 31 March 2025 highlight the biggest number of referrals (3,192; 36%) to the programme came from the education sector. 

Although Martyn’s Law has been developed in response to terrorism, the need it addresses is not confined to terrorism alone. Schools and colleges are increasingly contending with serious incidents involving violence, weapons and intruders on site, both involving pupils and members of the public. A 2025 Schools Week investigation found that schools teaching almost 100,000 pupils had been forced into lockdown because of armed intruders or nearby violent threats, while NASUWT reported that 40% of respondents had experienced physical abuse or violence from pupils in the previous 12 months. Set against the wider threat picture, the increase in these incidents underlines the urgency of preparedness in education.

Implementation and teamSOS

The Home Office will imminently publish its section 27 guidance which will help education settings prepare for the enforcement of Martyn’s Law, which will be overseen by the Security Industry Authority. 

Education settings can be proactive in their approach to security by conducting simple risk assessments to identify vulnerabilities or opportunities for improvement, and reviewing public content to check they are not advertising floor plans or vulnerabilities via their website or social media accounts. There is currently no need to pay security consultants and I encourage education settings to use the Government’s free resources, such as ACT e-learning. 

Where schools identify vulnerabilities, they may also consider practical solutions to strengthen their response. Where communication is a concern, a solution like teamSOS can help by providing the speed and clarity needed when serious incidents occur, from the initial report through to site-wide instruction.

Fast communication and co-ordination are fundamental in reducing casualties or damage when an incident occurs. With over 20 years’ experience delivering technology in schools, teamSOS has been developed to support schools and colleges facing a range of threats, from terrorism and serious violence to fire and safeguarding, enabling the rapid deployment of lockdown, evacuation and invacuation procedures while keeping staff informed and connected in an emergency.