The Educator Magazine U.K. Jan-April 2025 issue - Magazine - Page 60
How can educational
institutions prepare
for Martyn’s Law?
staff in a mental health crisis, or people with grievances not
linked to a specific ideology. Lisa believes that this is why this
legislation is so significant for the sector which, for the first
time, will be legally obliged to consider significant threats
and have in place plans that would be effective in the event
of such a threat materialising.
Now is the time for education settings to review their
evacuation and lockdown procedures and communication
strategies to ensure that they are fit-for-purpose ahead of
the Bill’s enactment. The communication element in
particular is pivotal to ensure that staff and students are
able to recognise a threat and the need for an immediate
response.
Effectively communicating the required response
Educational institutions are spinning a lot of plates.
They’re dealing with funding challenges, staff shortages and
are understandably laser focused on delivering the best
education to their students. It’s often the case that they have
procedures in writing to deal with security threats but have
had little time to consider how these would be enacted if
an incident did happen, and crucially, whether a plan would
work.
Gary Dean, Managing Director at Audiebant
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill, also known as
Martyn’s Law, has made progress in its passage through
Parliament, with Royal Ascent expected next year. Under
current proposals, the terms of the Bill will require public
venues, including educational settings such as schools and
colleges with a capacity of over 200 people, to have in place
effective measures to mitigate the impact of a terrorist
attack. For universities and other settings with a capacity
of over 800, there will also be an obligation to reduce
vulnerability to an attack occurring at the location, as well
as taking steps to reduce the risk of physical harm being
caused were an attack to happen.
Lisa Broad, expert in counter-terrorism and incident
response who led on of Martyn’s Law proposals for the
education sector, states that Martyn’s Law will have a
significant positive impact on the education sector.
Although the legislation is fundamentally about terrorism,
the requirements will mean education settings are better
protected against a range of threats that they face on a daily
basis: gang violence, students carrying knives, learners or
Schools have tried and tested plans to respond to fire.
We are all conditioned from a young age to recognise a
fire alarm and know precisely what to do when we hear it.
We are less likely however to know what to do in the event
of a different type of threat.
During a terrorist attack or other act of violence, how would
schools communicate the specific threat to ensure an
appropriate response? Mass communication systems are
needed to deliver clear, calm, consistent and instant
instructions to people during such incidents. However,
without tailored messaging based on location, educational
settings can still face challenges.
Zoned capabilities in an educational setting
Tailored messaging is essential in an educational setting. If
an attacker is outside the school gates, a site-wide lockdown
to keep people inside might be the best course of action.
But what if the threat is on the school grounds, or inside
the school building? In some scenarios, it might be safer for
some people to evacuate to safety, but others to lockdown
and hide. The challenge is how to inform people of these
different responses where the communication system in
place only allows a single rigid message to be played out to
an entire site.
