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Children’s social care : Fourth Report of Session 2024–25

Policy paper
How Martyn’s Law will
affect education settings
Published 1 September 2025
Martyn’s Law
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (the Act) became law 3 April
2025. It is commonly known as Martyn’s Law, and is named in honour of Martyn Hett,
one of the 22 people killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena terrorist attack. Martyn’s
mother, Figen Murray, campaigned over many years for a new law to better protect
the public in the event of a terror attack.
Implementation
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Martyn’s law for education settings
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for Education
Contents
Martyn’s Law
About the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025
Why we need this legislation
What education settings need to know
When the act comes into effect
What you will need to do to comply with the act
What we are doing
The government intends for there to be an implementation period of at least
24 months before the act comes into force.
About the Terrorism (Protection of
Premises) Act 2025
The act will make individuals working at premises and events responsible for
minimising the impact of a terrorist attack – this includes education settings. It is
intended to improve protective security and organisational preparedness across the
UK.
It sets out a tiered approach that is based on the number of people expected to be
present at the same time. Premises with a capacity of more than 200 people will fall
into either the standard or enhanced tier.
The standard tier applies to premises and events with a capacity of 200 to 799
individuals.
The enhanced tier applies to premises and events with a capacity of 799 or more
individuals.  
The Security Industry Authority (SIA), an arm’s length body of the Home Office, will
regulate the act and provide support and guidance.
Why we need this legislation
The 2023 counter terrorism strategy, CONTEST summarises the current threat
facing the UK as ‘enduring and evolving’, with a domestic threat that ‘is less
predictable and harder to detect and investigate’. Terrorists have targeted a wide
range of people and places in recent years. It is not always possible to predict
where in the UK an attack might happen, or the type of premises or events that could
be impacted – either directly (as the target of an attack) or indirectly (by being
located near to the target of an attack).
While the Terrorism (Protect of Premises) Act is Home Office led, the Department
for Education (DfE) have supported the introduction of the act. We have worked with
the Home Office to set out the policy for education settings.
The threat level from terrorism in the UK is currently substantial, meaning an attack is
likely. That is why having effective procedures in place is important. Through the
Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act, we can improve protective security and
organisational preparedness across the UK.
What education settings need to know
The tiered approach is based on a venue’s capacity, but some education settings
will have a special consideration.
Special consideration and standard tier
Early years, primary, secondary and further education settings have a special
consideration in place and will be in the standard tier, regardless of their capacity.
DfE-funded independent training providers will fall under this special
consideration and will be in the standard tier, even if their capacity is 800 or over.
Capacity-related tiers for 200 people or more
Privately owned independent training providers will not fall under the special
consideration. These providers will be treated the same as other premises in scope
of Martyn’s Law and the tier will depend on the venue capacity.
Higher education establishments will be treated the same as other premises:
standard tier for settings with a capacity of 200 to 799 and enhanced for settings
with 800 and above.
Out of scope for fewer than 200 people
Settings with a capacity of below 200 do not need to follow Martyn’s Law, but we
encourage all settings to have preparedness plans for the safety of their learners
and staff.
When the act comes into effect
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 received Royal Assent on
Thursday 3 April. The government intends for there to be an implementation period
of at least 24 months before the act comes into force. This period will enable those
responsible for premises and events to have sufficient time to understand their new
obligations, and to plan and prepare accordingly.
While those that fall within the scope of the act may wish to consider the
requirements, there is no requirement to comply with them until the legislation comes
into force. The government will publish statutory guidance during the 24-month
implementation period. This will be subject to stakeholder consultation prior to
publication. This guidance will assist those responsible to understand the
requirements set out in the legislation. 
What you will need to do to comply with
the act
Settings will need to have appropriate procedures in place. This includes:
evacuation (to get people out of the building)
invacuation (moving people to a safe place)
lockdown (to secure the premises against attackers)
communication
There is no requirement to put physical security measures in place.
Settings will need to appoint a responsible person and notify the SIA, as the
regulator. For primary and secondary education, further education, and higher
education settings the responsible person is a body or institution, as set out in
Schedule 1 of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025. This is, for
example, the local authority or the relevant proprietor or governing body, as opposed
to a designated individual such as a safeguarding lead or headteacher within the
institution.
Enhanced tier education settings will need a designated senior individual (DSI) in
addition to a setting’s responsible person. The DSI will need to document their
compliance by recording information such as public protection procedures, how to
remedy or mitigate risks, and how these measures reduce vulnerabilities or risks of
terror attacks.
What we are doing
We are working with the National Counter Terrorism Security Office and the Home
Office to help the sector to implement the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act.
This includes:
lunch and learn webinars
guidance and factsheets
products and resources for good security practice across education settings
updates for the sector throughout the implementation period
addressing policy issues for the education sector
The Home Office, SIA and DfE will publish statutory guidance during the 24-month
implementation period. This guidance will help you understand the requirements set
out in the legislation.
Third-party providers
DfE does not endorse any third-party products or providers offering paid
services to enhance security measures and preparedness for education
settings.
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How Martyn’s Law will affect education settings : Published 1 September 2025

Guidance
Glossary: education
inspection terminology
A glossary of terms used across Ofsted’s
education inspection information and
guidance.
From:
Ofsted
Published
9 September 2025
Applies to England
This glossary explains the terms used in our inspection
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Contents
Glossary: for all education remits—
Glossary: for specific education remits—
Early years—
Non-association independent schools—
Further education and skills—
Initial teacher education—
information and guidance where there is no widely
accepted official definition. For terms that do have an
official definition, the glossary clarifies how we have
used them.
Glossary: for all education remits
This section defines terms that apply across all the
education areas (or ‘remits’) that we inspect:
early years settings
state-funded schools
non-association independent schools
further education and skills providers
initial teacher education providers
Babies
Children up to 2 years old.
Barriers to learning and/or well-being
Barriers to learning and/or well-being are any factors
that may make it difficult for an individual to achieve
their potential or experience well-being. These barriers
can arise from individual circumstances, such as
health, development or emotional needs, or from
external factors, including family, community or wider
social conditions. They could also include protected
characteristics.
We identify members of key groups, as defined in
statutory duties or government guidance, where
education providers have specific responsibilities to
address those barriers – for example, those who are
disadvantaged, those with special educational needs
and/or disabilities (SEND) or those known (or
previously known) to children’s social care.
Additionally, barriers can be challenges that individuals
face that are specific to the provider’s context. These
may require tailored approaches to reduce their impact
on learning and/or well-being.
Children
Children in early years or the school Reception Year
(often known as ‘babies and children up to 5 years
old’).
Disadvantaged
The term ‘disadvantaged’ means those who are
socioeconomically disadvantaged. This includes those
receiving pupil premium funding, or those in FE and
skills providers who are from low-income backgrounds
– for example, those who have been eligible for free
school meals in the past 6 years.
Evaluation area
An evaluation area represents a single component of
everything that makes up high-quality education
provision.
Each evaluation area has its own section of the toolkit
that explains the evidence inspectors will gather for a
specific aspect of the provider’s work.
Each evaluation area includes grading standards or
indicators for each grade.
Grading standards
Grading standards are statements in the toolkit that
describe provision graded as ‘expected standard’ or
higher. They are the standards that providers should
meet or aim to meet across all aspects of their
provision.
Grading indicators
Grading indicators are statements in the toolkit that
describe what provision graded as ‘needs attention’ or
below typically looks like.
Inspection information page
This provides information about our inspections for a
general audience. Each remit has its own inspection
information page.
Known to social care
This means an individual who:
at any time, met the definition of a child in need of
help and protection, as set out in section 17 of the
Children Act 1989
has ever received statutory local authority support
from a social worker
is looked after or who was previously looked after
Leaders
Leaders are staff who are responsible for making
decisions about how an education provider operates.
The roles may vary between providers. They include
senior leaders and middle leaders, but not governors
or trustees.
In a childminder setting, the childminder is the ‘leader’
and all references to leaders apply to the childminder.
Learners
Those in further education (FE) and skills provision.
Operating guide
Operating guides are technical guidance for
inspectors. They are a step-by-step guide that sets out
the relevant inspection methodology and practice.
There is one operating guide for each remit.
Outcomes
Outcomes refer to the broad impact of leaders’ work
on the academic achievement and personal
development of children, pupils, learners/apprentices
or trainees.
Outcomes include published outcomes from national
tests and examinations (where relevant) but also
outcomes such as being ready for the next stage of
education, employment and training (in FE and skills
provision) or being prepared to teach their subject(s)
and phase (in ITE provision).
Parents
This includes other carers, such as grandparents or
foster carers.
Pupil premium
Funding provided to improve educational outcomes for
disadvantaged pupils. This includes the early years
pupil premium, the pupil premium, and the service
pupil premium.
Pupils
Children in school.
Responsible body
The entity legally responsible for the performance of
an educational institution and for the well-being of
leaders. For state-funded schools, it is usually the local
authority. For academies, it is often a multi-academy
trust.
Report card
The report card is the written outcome of an inspection.
It is published on the Ofsted reports website.
Specialist settings
Specialist settings refer to alternative provision (AP),
including all pupil referral units (PRUs), AP free
schools and academies; hospital schools; specially
resourced provision or special educational needs
(SEN) units in mainstream or special schools;
academy and maintained special schools; and
independent special schools.
Students
Those in a school sixth form.
Toolkit
The toolkit sets out the specific areas evaluated and
graded on inspection – the evaluation areas. Each
remit has a toolkit detailing what we inspect. It is a
collection of resources (or tools) to support inspectors’
evaluation of a provision at the point of inspection.
Providers can also use it to support their self-
evaluation processes and continuous improvement.
Trainees
Those in initial teacher education.
Glossary: for specific education remits
Early years
Teaching in the early years
‘Teaching’ is a broad term that covers the many
different ways in which adults help young children
learn.
It includes adults’ interactions with children during
planned and child-initiated play and activities –
communicating and modelling language, showing,
explaining, demonstrating, exploring ideas,
encouraging, questioning, recalling, providing a
narrative for what children are doing, facilitating, and
setting challenges.
It takes account of the equipment that adults provide
and the attention they give to the physical environment,
as well as the structure and routines of the day that
establish expectations.
Our definition of ‘teaching’ incorporates how
practitioners:
assess what children know, understand and can do
take account of their interests and dispositions to
learn (characteristics of effective learning)
use this information to plan children’s next steps in
learning and to monitor their progress
Federation
A federation is 2 or more maintained schools operating
under a single governing body.
Governors/those responsible for governance
Someone whose role is to provide non-executive
support to the board of trustees. The board of trustees
must have a governance professional who helps the
board to understand its role and legal responsibilities
and who supports it to design and implement high-
quality governance. Their responsibilities can vary in
each trust and can incorporate the responsibilities of a
clerk.
Qualifying complaint
These are complaints made to Ofsted that qualify for
consideration under section 11A(2) of the Education
Act 2005.
Trust
A ‘trust’ refers to any academy trust, including single-
academy trusts, multi-academy trusts and multi-
academy companies (many dioceses use the term
‘multi-academy companies’; these are legally identical
to multi-academy trusts but use the different name).
Non-association independent schools
Independent school standards (ISS)
These are the standards set by the Department for
Education (which is the registration authority for
independent schools) that all independent schools are
expected to meet at all times. The ISS are distinct
from the ‘grading standards’ defined above.
Proprietor
The individuals or body responsible for managing and
overseeing a school. In independent schools, the
proprietor is the sole or joint person(s) or body that has
ownership control and to whom the school’s
management is responsible. The proprietor is directly
responsible for ensuring the ISS are met continually
over time.
Further education and skills
Achievement
We define ‘achievement’ as the successful completion
of a learning goal. Examples include passing a formal
examination, hitting personal targets or developing
planned new knowledge and skills.
Behaviours
We use ‘behaviours’ in curriculum, teaching and
training to refer to the essential behaviours learners
and apprentices develop to support them to move onto
their next steps. This includes professional behaviours
for the workplace, or the behaviours required to move
on to the next stage of their education and training.
The term ‘behaviours’ is part of an apprenticeship
standard, where the curriculum refers to knowledge,
skills and behaviours.
We use ‘behaviours’ in participation and development
to refer to the behaviours that learners and apprentices
develop to enable them to successfully participate in
their course. This may include attendance and their
ability to work with others in preparation for their next
steps.
We may also talk about learners with high needs
developing their ‘behaviours’ to attend their course.
This may include self-regulation with or without the
support provided by staff to enable them to manage
their behaviour and to remain on their course.
High-needs provision
Provision for learners who receive high-needs funding
and have an education, health and care plan. We
inspect this as part of programmes for learners with
high needs. This is study towards gaining new
knowledge and skills on a course or programme.
Progression
This occurs when learners move to the next stage of
development. Examples include going on to a higher
level of study or into a work role.
Those responsible for governance and/or
oversight of the provider
These are the people responsible for supporting and
challenging provider leaders, including checking the
provider is meeting its statutory duties.
Teacher or trainer
This term may refer collectively to teachers, trainers,
lecturers, mentors, assessors and/or staff in similar
instructional or guidance roles.
Initial teacher education
Initial teacher education (ITE) and initial teacher
training (ITT)
‘ITE’ is the term we use when inspecting teacher
training providers. ‘ITT’ is the term used by the
Department for Education, and we use it when referring
to compliance criteria.
ITE curriculum
The provider’s ITE curriculum sets out what trainees
will learn and when, including in their teaching practice.
This is distinct from the curriculums that trainees are
being trained to teach, for example the national
curriculum.
Mentor
A mentor is someone who works with trainees
regularly, typically at the placement/setting/workplace
where the trainees are based. Mentors are trained and
supported by the provider that is responsible for the
ITE programmes.
Partner organisation
This is an institution that works with the ITE provider on
ITE programmes, including where trainees undertake
their teaching practice.
Teacher educator
Teacher educators teach trainees on teacher training
programmes.
Those responsible for the oversight of the ITE
provider
These are the people responsible for supporting and
challenging provider leaders, including checking the
provider is meeting its statutory duties.
Published 9 September 2025
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All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where
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