What is Martyn's Law? A comprehensive guide for UK schools & public venues

Martyn’s Law, officially the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, marks a major change in how public-facing organisations across the UK approach security and preparedness. Named after Martyn Hett, who was killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena attack, the law introduces a clearer legal duty for schools, public venues, and other qualifying premises to be better prepared for the risk of terrorism.

The Act received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025. The government has said there will be an implementation period of at least 24 months before enforcement begins, which means organisations should use this time to review risks, strengthen procedures, and prepare for compliance ahead of the expected April 2027 start of enforcement.

What does Martyn’s Law require in practice?

That depends on how many people your premises can reasonably be expected to hold at the same time. The legislation introduces a two-tier model: Standard Duty for premises expecting 200 to 799 people, and Enhanced Duty for those expecting 800 or more. The Home Office has said the law is expected to affect an estimated 169,000 premises across the UK, including many schools and education settings. For a school-specific overview, you can also read What UK schools need to know about Martyn’s Law as a companion piece to this guide.

In this guide:

- Key takeaways
- Core requirements of Martyn's Law
- Standard Duty vs. Enhanced Duty: key differences
- Why schools must comply with Martyn’s Law
- Preparing schools and public venues for compliance
- Checklist: security measures for schools
- Example scenarios
- How visitor management supports Martyn’s Law compliance
- Common misconceptions about Martyn’s Law
- Frequently asked questions

Key takeaways

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  - Martyn’s Law, the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025, with enforcement expected after an implementation period of at least 24 months.
  
  
• - The law creates two compliance tiers: Standard Duty for premises expecting 200–799 people, and Enhanced Duty for premises expecting 800+.
  
  
• - Qualifying premises must put appropriate public protection procedures in place, with larger premises facing additional measures and documentation requirements.
  
  
• - Schools are in scope where the threshold is met. There is no general exemption for education settings.
  
  
• - Visitor management can support compliance by improving visibility, access control, record keeping, and emergency response. This is an operational conclusion based on the law’s requirements around procedures, awareness, and documentation.
  
  
• - Schools that start preparing early will be in a stronger position to avoid last-minute gaps before enforcement begins.
  
  

• Core requirements of Martyn’s Law

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  At its core, the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 is about preparedness. It requires the responsible person for qualifying premises to take steps that reduce the risk of physical harm arising from acts of terrorism. For larger premises and qualifying events, it also introduces additional requirements aimed at reducing vulnerability more broadly.

  For premises in scope, this means taking a structured approach to public protection. Depending on the tier, that includes putting procedures in place for evacuation, invacuation, locking down premises, and communicating with people on site during an incident. It also means making sure those procedures are known, understood, and capable of being followed in practice. ProtectUK describes this as a proportionate approach, with expectations varying depending on the size and nature of the premises.

  All qualifying premises should be thinking about how they will:

  • - identify vulnerabilities on site
  • - document appropriate response procedures
  • - make staff aware of what to do during an incident
  • - maintain records where required
  • - review and improve arrangements over time

  The capacity threshold determines which tier applies. Premises expecting 200–799 individuals fall under Standard Duty, while those expecting 800 or more fall under Enhanced Duty.

• For schools, the challenge is practical rather than theoretical. This is not just about writing a policy and filing it away. It is about being able to show that your school has clear procedures, that staff understand them, and that you can account for people on site when it matters. For more on how this applies specifically to education settings, the school-focused blog is the best place to cover the basics without repeating them in full here.

   

• Standard Duty vs. Enhanced Duty: key differences

  
  Martyn’s Law introduces two distinct tiers of responsibility, based on the number of people reasonably expected to be present on the premises at the same time. Knowing which tier applies is one of the first and most important steps in planning for compliance.

  Standard Duty applies to premises expecting 200 to 799 individuals. The emphasis here is on practical public protection procedures. For many schools, that means making sure there are clear plans for lockdown, evacuation, invacuation and communication, and that staff know how to act if an incident happens. The requirements are designed to be proportionate, so organisations can improve preparedness without being buried in unnecessary process.

  Enhanced Duty applies to premises expecting 800 or more individuals. These premises must meet the same procedural requirements as Standard Duty, but with extra obligations around public protection measures and documenting compliance. The Act also includes requirements around appointing a designated senior individual for enhanced duty premises, and the Security Industry Authority (SIA) is the regulator responsible for oversight and enforcement.

  When does Martyn’s Law come into force? The law received Royal Assent in April 2025, and the government’s published guidance says the implementation period is expected to be at least 24 months. In practical terms, organisations should be working towards readiness ahead of the expected April 2027 enforcement point.

• Start by understanding your expected occupancy. Most schools and a lot of public venues are likely to fall under Standard Duty, but larger campuses and venues with with bigger events or combined facilities may meet the Enhanced threshold. Your tier shapes what compliance looks like.
  
  

• Why schools must comply with Martyn’s Law

  
  Schools are not outside the scope of Martyn’s Law. If a school meets the relevant threshold, it is treated like any other qualifying premises under the Act. The legislation is based on expected numbers of people present, not whether the setting is funded, independent, educational, or commercial.

  For many schools, that means the threshold will be met during normal operations once you account for pupils, staff, visitors, contractors, and other people on site. In some cases, the number may increase further during events such as performances, open evenings, sports days, or community use of school facilities.

  This matters because schools have a particular responsibility to protect children, staff, and visitors while keeping the environment calm, practical, and welcoming. Martyn’s Law does not ask schools to become fortresses. It asks them to become more prepared, more consistent, and more capable of responding if the worst happens.

• That is where a lot of schools will feel the pressure. Not because the objective is unclear, but because everyday school life is busy. Procedures need to be workable. Records need to be accessible. Staff need confidence, not confusion. And if you are relying on paper logs or fragmented processes, those gaps become much harder to defend.
  
  

• Preparing schools and public venues for compliance

  
  The implementation period is there for a reason. Compliance under Martyn’s Law is not something most organisations will be able to switch on overnight. It takes time to understand your responsibilities, assess your current position, train staff, and improve procedures in a way that fits how your site actually operates.

  A sensible starting point is a baseline review. That means looking at how your organisation currently manages access to site, emergency procedures, communication, staff awareness, and documentation. ProtectUK has published guidance and tier-specific information to help organisations understand what is expected and where to begin.

  For schools, this is also where digital systems begin to matter. Visitor management will not replace every part of a security plan, but it can make a measurable difference to the things schools often struggle with most: knowing who is on site, controlling access points, keeping accurate records, and being able to respond faster in an emergency. That makes it easier to operationalise procedures rather than simply describe them on paper.

• Documentation also needs attention early. If your school updates procedures, runs training, reviews risks, or changes processes, that work should be recorded as it happens. Strong documentation makes preparation more manageable and reduces the scramble later.

Checklist: security measures for schools

Schools preparing for Martyn’s Law need a framework that is practical enough to use, but strong enough to expose real gaps. This checklist is a useful starting point for reviewing your current level of preparedness.

Standard Duty requirements (schools expecting 200–799 people)

• - Review how people access the site and where vulnerabilities exist
• - Document procedures for evacuation, invacuation, lockdown, and communications
• - Make sure staff understand what to do during an incident
• - Improve visitor visibility so you know who is on site at any given time
• - Check whether your communication methods are fast, clear, and reliable
• - Keep procedures accessible and easy to follow under pressure

Enhanced Duty additions (schools expecting 800+ people)

• - Complete more detailed risk and vulnerability reviews
• - Put formal public protection measures in place where appropriate
• - Appoint a designated senior individual
• - Maintain documented evidence of compliance activity
• - Review whether physical security controls such as CCTV, access control, or perimeter measures are proportionate for your site
• - Build a clearer governance process around review, ownership, and accountability

Download our free Martyn's Law checklist

Example scenarios: implementing Martyn’s Law in schools

Understanding the law is one thing. Seeing how it applies in real school environments makes it easier to act on.

Scenario 1: A primary school with 350 pupils and 40 staff

This school would likely fall within Standard Duty, because the expected number of people on site is under 800 but above 200. In practice, that means the school should have clear procedures for lockdown, evacuation, and communication, along with a reliable way to know who is on site, including visitors and contractors. The goal is not complexity. It is clarity and readiness.

Scenario 2: A secondary school with 1,200 pupils

This school would likely fall within Enhanced Duty because the expected number of individuals present is above 800. In addition to public protection procedures, the responsible person would need to consider the extra measures and documentation required for enhanced tier premises, with formal ownership and stronger evidence of compliance activity.

Scenario 3: A primary school hosting a summer fete

A smaller school may usually operate within Standard Duty, but events can change the picture. If the number of people reasonably expected to be present rises significantly during a school fete, open day, or performance, schools should assess whether additional planning and controls are needed for that event. This is one of the clearest examples of why schools should look beyond average daily attendance and think about peak use of the site.

How visitor management supports Martyn’s Law compliance

Martyn’s Law is ultimately about preparedness, visibility, and the ability to act quickly. For schools, visitor management sits close to the centre of that.

Real-time visibility of who is on site

Schools need to know who is on site, not who they think might be on site. Digital visitor management gives staff a live view of visitors, contractors, and volunteers, which is far more useful in an emergency than a paper book sitting on a reception desk.

Controlled access and screening

A well-designed visitor process supports access control without making the school feel unwelcoming. Pre-registration, purpose-of-visit records, ID checks, and sign-in workflows all help schools build a stronger and more consistent front door.

Emergency communication and evacuation support

When an incident happens, speed matters. Systems that support live visitor lists, emergency notifications, and faster headcounts can make emergency procedures more effective and easier to execute.

Compliance documentation and audit trails

One of the biggest operational benefits of digital systems is documentation. Accurate, time-stamped records give schools a far stronger evidence base than manual logs, especially when they need to show that processes are being followed consistently.

The bottom line: visitor management is not the whole answer to Martyn’s Law, but it does support several of the things schools will need most - visibility, control, consistency, and records they can rely on. This is an operational inference based on the law’s requirements around procedures, measures, and documentation.

Common misconceptions about Martyn’s Law

As schools and public venues prepare, a few myths keep surfacing. Most of them lead to the same problem: delayed action.

“Martyn’s Law only applies to entertainment venues.”
It does not. The legislation applies to qualifying premises across multiple sectors where the threshold is met, not just entertainment venues.

“Small schools are exempt.”
Not automatically. A school may look small on paper, but once staff, visitors, contractors, and event attendance are included, it may still meet the threshold.

“We already do fire drills, so we’re covered.”
Fire safety remains important, but it is not the same as having terrorism-related public protection procedures, staff awareness, and response planning in place.

“Compliance will be prohibitively expensive.”
The government has repeatedly framed the requirements as proportionate, especially for Standard Duty premises. For many schools, the biggest work will be around procedures, awareness, and documentation rather than major capital spend.

“We have until April 2027, so there’s no rush.”
That is exactly the mindset that creates pressure later. The implementation period exists so organisations can make sensible, phased improvements. Leaving it too late reduces options and increases risk.

Find out how Sign In App can help schools and public venues get ready for Martyn’s Law and simplify everyday safety and compliance. Book a demo with the team.