Preparing your school for Martyn’s Law.
OnSite helps your school carry out the day-to-day work Martyn’s Law expects: sign-in, lockdown, evacuation and communication. Here’s what the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 requires, and how to be ready before enforcement begins.
What is Martyn’s Law?
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, commonly known as Martyn’s Law, is UK-wide legislation that received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025. Qualifying premises must put in place public protection procedures such as evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication. The Security Industry Authority will be the regulator.
For most UK schools, the question is not whether Martyn’s Law applies; it’s how their existing procedures map to the new requirements.
Schools will need to consider how they currently respond to incidents, and put in place procedures that could be expected to reduce the risk of harm to people if an act of terrorism were to occur.
Key facts
- Legal name
- Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025
- Royal Assent
- 3 April 2025
- Implementation period
- At least 24 months from Royal Assent
- Expected enforcement
- From April 2027
- Regulator
- Security Industry Authority (SIA)
- Applies to
- England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
- Tier for schools
- Standard, at any size
A practical tool for the day-to-day compliance work.
Martyn’s Law asks you to know who is on site, act quickly when something happens, and show afterwards what you did. That is what OnSite was built for.
Real-time on-site register
A live count and named list of every visitor, member of staff and pupil currently on site, across reception, staff phones and any kiosks.
Calm, parallel roll call
Multiple staff can mark people safe at the same time during an evacuation. The register updates live, so leadership can see who is still unaccounted for.
One-tap lockdown trigger
Any authorised staff member can start a lockdown from their phone. Every member of staff receives clear, role-specific instructions within seconds.
Mass communication
Reach every member of staff with a single message. Role-specific instructions cut through the noise of a general alert.
Auditable record of every event
Every sign-in, evacuation, lockdown and message is time-stamped and retained, which is useful evidence that the standard-tier procedures your school has in place are actually followed.
Capacity awareness
Trends across the week make it easier to give the SIA an honest “reasonable expectation” of how many people may be present at the same time.
No software makes you compliant.
OnSite is not a compliance product, and neither is anything else. The Act asks for procedures, training and judgement, and those belong to your school.
What software can do is the practical part: knowing who is on site, reaching everyone quickly, accounting for people afterwards, and keeping a record you can show. Be sceptical of anyone selling you more than that.
See it runningQuestions schools are asking.
Plain answers, with references to the statutory guidance where applicable.
When does Martyn’s Law come into force?
The Act received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025 and is law, but the duties are not yet enforceable. The Government has stated an implementation period of at least 24 months from Royal Assent, meaning enforcement is expected to begin from around April 2027. There is no legal requirement to comply before then, but those in scope are encouraged to begin preparing.
Does Martyn’s Law apply to schools?
Yes, provided the four scope criteria are met: there is at least one building; the premises are used for a Schedule 1 use (which includes education); at least 200 individuals (including staff) may reasonably be expected to be present at the same time; and the premises are not excluded under Schedule 2. For the great majority of UK schools, this means the Act applies.
Which tier will my school be in?
The standard tier, whatever your size. Schools with fewer than 200 people are outside the Act altogether. Primary and secondary schools with 200 or more fall into the standard tier, even large schools with more than 800.
Home Office statutory guidance is explicit about this: education premises expecting 200 or more people are in the standard tier “even if that number of expected individuals is 800 or more” (chapter 4, section 4.38). The 800 threshold that moves other kinds of premises into the enhanced tier does not apply to schools, and further education is treated the same way. Universities and privately owned independent training providers are the exception, and can fall into the enhanced tier.
How do we work out our “reasonably expected” occupancy?
You can use methods you may already be familiar with, such as fire safety occupancy calculations, or historic attendance and visitor data. The Home Office has published a supplementary document on assessment methods alongside the statutory guidance.
What are the four public protection procedures?
Procedures that should be followed by people working at the premises if an act of terrorism were to occur there or in the immediate vicinity. They cover four areas: evacuation; invacuation (moving people to a safer place inside); lockdown of the premises; and communication with individuals on the premises.
What happens if we don’t comply?
The SIA will support, advise and guide duty holders in the first instance. For serious or persistent non-compliance, it can issue compliance notices, monetary penalties and restriction notices. The Act also includes some criminal offences.
Is visitor sign-in mandatory under Martyn’s Law?
The Act does not prescribe any particular system. What it does require, for all in-scope premises, is procedures that may reduce harm, including evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication. Knowing who is on your premises in real time is foundational to every one of those procedures, which is why visitor management and sign-in are practically essential, even though the Act doesn’t name them.
Where this comes from
- The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 and its statutory guidance gov.uk
- Martyn’s Law factsheet Home Office
- Martyn’s Law guidance for duty holders ProtectUK
- Security Industry Authority, the regulator gov.uk
This page is a plain-English summary for school staff, not legal advice. Where it differs from the statutory guidance, the guidance is right.