Martyn’s Law — also known as the Protect Duty — is new UK legislation designed to strengthen public safety by ensuring organisations have effective plans in place to respond to terror-related emergencies. Although the law is often discussed in relation to large venues, it also applies to schools, and the expectations placed on education providers will be significant. Schools are public-facing environments with large numbers of people on site every day, which places them directly within the scope of the legislation. Understanding how Martyn’s Law affects the education sector is essential for leadership teams preparing for compliance.
Why Martyn’s Law Matters for Schools
Martyn’s Law introduces new responsibilities for schools in areas such as emergency preparedness, communication, risk assessment, lockdown procedures, and staff training. While safeguarding is already a core responsibility, the legislation emphasises practical readiness, not just written policies. Its aim is to ensure that schools can respond quickly and effectively when an incident threatens the safety of pupils, staff or visitors.
Does Martyn’s Law Apply to All Schools?
Yes. The Protect Duty covers:
Primary schools
Secondary schools
Academies and colleges
Independent/private schools
Special educational needs schools
Any education provider that hosts public-facing activities — such as events, assemblies, parents’ evenings or after-school programmes — is included. Because of this, schools across the UK must begin assessing how prepared they are.
What Schools Will Be Required to Do
Schools will need to conduct a terrorism risk assessment to identify vulnerabilities such as access points, crowded areas and communication challenges. They must establish clear emergency procedures for lockdowns, invacuations, evacuations, safe routes and staff responsibilities. Training will play a crucial role, as all staff must be able to respond calmly and consistently during an emergency. Another core requirement is a reliable internal communication system that allows the school to send instant, site-wide alerts. Finally, schools must regularly test, review and update their plans to demonstrate ongoing compliance.
The Biggest Challenge: Internal Communication
Communication is often the weakest point in school emergency planning. Email alerts may be delayed or ignored, radios can fail during noisy periods, alarms provide no written instructions, and relying on runners is far too slow. Martyn’s Law expects schools to have a communication method that is immediate, clear and impossible to miss. This is where digital alert systems become essential for compliance.
How PopAlert® Supports Martyn’s Law Compliance
PopAlert is an on-premises internal alert system that displays full-screen messages on every staff and classroom computer. Teachers cannot miss the instructions, and the alerts appear instantly. The system supports multiple emergency types — including lockdown, invacuation, evacuation and medical alerts — allowing the school to react appropriately to different scenarios.
Because PopAlert operates entirely on-premises, it continues working even if the internet or cloud services become unavailable. It also integrates with external systems such as Alertex, panic buttons and other physical triggers, enabling complete internal and external coverage. Installation is simple, requiring no building work, wiring or expensive infrastructure. Once in place, PopAlert becomes part of the school’s emergency procedures, staff training and testing cycles, making compliance easier to demonstrate during inspections.
Why Schools Should Prepare Now
Even before Martyn’s Law becomes fully enforceable, schools benefit from strengthening their emergency readiness. The legislation reinforces a vital truth: clear communication saves lives. PopAlert ensures teachers receive instructions instantly, reducing confusion and improving safeguarding in critical moments. By enhancing communication, planning and staff confidence, schools create a safer and more resilient environment.
Martyn’s Law represents a major step forward in school safety. It encourages stronger emergency procedures, improved staff awareness and better internal communication. PopAlert® provides the fast, reliable and simple communication system that schools need to meet these new requirements — without disruption or costly hardware.
If your school is preparing for Martyn’s Law, we can help you install PopAlert, train staff, integrate internal and external alerts and strengthen your overall emergency workflows. Book a demo today to make your school safer, smarter and fully ready for the Protect Duty.
