Martyn's Law for Schools and Education Settings

Schools, colleges, nurseries and other education settings stay in the standard tier under Martyn's Law, regardless of how many people are on site, where they are above the 200 threshold. They are not pushed into the enhanced tier even when capacity passes 800.

The law is the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (chapter 10), known as Martyn's Law, which received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025. It is regulated by the Security Industry Authority (SIA).

There is an implementation period of at least 24 months from Royal Assent, so the Act is expected to come into force in Spring 2027. There is no legal duty to comply until commencement, which gives education settings time to prepare in an orderly way.

For standard duty premises the headline obligation is to put in place appropriate, reasonably practicable public protection procedures across four areas. These are expected to be simple and low cost, with no requirement to buy equipment.

The position for education is confirmed in the government's own published material. You can read the dedicated guidance on how Martyn's Law will affect education settings alongside the full Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025.

Why Education Settings Remain in the Standard Tier

Martyn's Law sets two tiers, measured by the number of individuals (including staff) who may reasonably be expected to be present at the same time. Standard duty premises are those with a capacity of 200 to 799, and enhanced duty premises and qualifying events are those at 800 or more.

For most premises, passing 800 would move them into the enhanced tier with its heavier obligations. Education settings are treated differently: they remain in the standard tier regardless of capacity, where they are above the 200 threshold.

This means a large secondary school or college with well over 800 pupils and staff is held to standard duty, not enhanced duty. The reassurance for school leaders is that scale alone does not trigger the enhanced compliance document, the designated senior individual requirement or the larger penalty regime.

What Standard Duty Requires of a School

Standard duty (section 5) asks responsible persons to put in place appropriate, reasonably practicable public protection procedures across four areas. The aim is to reduce the risk of physical harm to people present if an act of terrorism were to occur at or near the premises.

• Evacuation: the procedure for getting people safely out of the premises.
• Invacuation: moving people to safety inside the premises where leaving is not the safest option.
• Lockdown: securing the premises to restrict access and keep an attacker out.
• Communication: how staff alert people on site and pass information during an incident.

These procedures are expected to be simple and low cost, with no requirement to buy equipment. For schools, much of this builds on familiar ground, because evacuation and lockdown drills are already part of everyday safety practice.

How This Differs from Enhanced Duty

Enhanced duty (section 6) adds public protection measures across four categories: monitoring the premises, the movement of individuals, physical safety and security, and security of information. Enhanced premises must also designate a senior individual responsible for compliance and prepare a compliance document for the SIA.

Because education settings stay in the standard tier, none of these additional enhanced obligations apply to them on the basis of capacity. A school does not have to produce a compliance document or appoint a statutory senior individual under the enhanced regime.

Standard Tier and Enhanced Tier at a Glance

Item	Standard duty (200 to 799, and education settings)	Enhanced duty (800 or more)
Public protection procedures (section 5)	Required	Required
Public protection measures (section 6)	Not required	Required
Designated senior individual	Not required	Required
Compliance document to the SIA	Not required	Required
Maximum non-compliance penalty	£10,000 (£500 per day)	£18 million or 5% of worldwide revenue (£50,000 per day)

Working Out Whether You Are in Scope

The first question for any education setting is whether 200 or more individuals, including staff, may reasonably be expected to be present at the same time. Capacity counts everyone on site and should be assessed against peak use.

Smaller settings below 200 fall outside the duty entirely. Larger settings above 200 are in scope, but as standard duty premises only, however high their numbers go.

One point to watch is occasional higher-attendance events, such as open evenings, performances or sports days, which can bring premises into scope where everyday numbers sit close to the threshold. For help with this calculation, see our Martyn's Law capacity assessment guide.

What Schools and Education Settings Must Do

1. Confirm your peak capacity, counting pupils, staff and visitors who may be present at the same time, to establish whether you are above the 200 threshold.
2. Identify the responsible person for the premises, so it is clear who holds the duty once the Act commences.
3. Document evacuation procedures for getting people safely off site.
4. Set out invacuation procedures for moving people to safety inside the building where leaving is not safe.
5. Write lockdown procedures that restrict access and secure the premises.
6. Agree communication procedures so staff can raise the alarm and share information quickly.
7. Brief all staff so the people on site know how to act under each procedure.
8. Review your procedures alongside existing fire, safeguarding and emergency planning so they work together.

Common Errors to Avoid

• Assuming a large pupil roll forces a school into the enhanced tier. Education settings remain standard tier regardless of capacity above 200.
• Believing equipment must be bought. Standard duty procedures are expected to be simple and low cost, with no requirement to purchase equipment.
• Treating Martyn's Law as already in force. There is no legal duty to comply until commencement, expected in Spring 2027.
• Forgetting to count staff in the capacity figure. The threshold includes everyone reasonably expected on site, not just pupils.
• Overlooking peak-use events. Open evenings and performances can lift numbers above 200 even where the daily roll sits below it.
• Reinventing procedures from scratch instead of building on existing evacuation, lockdown and emergency plans.

Enforcement and Penalties

The SIA will regulate Martyn's Law, with enforcement tools including compliance notices, restriction notices and monetary penalties. For standard duty premises, which includes education settings, the maximum penalty is £10,000, with a daily penalty of up to £500.

By contrast, enhanced duty premises and qualifying events face a maximum of £18 million or 5% of qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater, with daily penalties up to £50,000. Because schools sit in the standard tier, the lower £10,000 ceiling applies to them.

The section 27 statutory guidance was published on 15 April 2026, and the SIA's draft section 12 enforcement guidance is out for consultation, closing at 11:59pm on Friday 12 June 2026. You can follow the SIA consultation on section 12 guidance to see how the regulator intends to operate.

How Policy Pros Can Help

Policy Pros writes practical, premises-specific public protection procedures so your education setting is ready well before Spring 2027. Our Martyn's Law compliance documentation service turns the four standard duty areas into clear written procedures for your school, college or nursery.

To understand the wider framework, start with our Martyn's Law 2027 compliance guide. For the detail on the four procedure areas, see our standard tier procedures guide, and to confirm your numbers use our capacity assessment guide.

Martyn's Law sits alongside your existing safety obligations, so we align it with your emergency evacuation policies and your health and safety policies. Get in touch for a quote to scope the procedures your setting needs.