The finalised version of Martyn’s Law legislation has been published and is now passing through Parliament.
In summary, for a school it means that they must appoint a responsible person who will be required to ensure that, so far as is reasonably practicable, appropriate public protection procedures are in place at the school that would reduce the risk of physical harm to individuals in the event that an act of terrorism occurs, at the premises or in the immediate vicinity.
Four types of procedures must be put in place, as follows:
Evacuation - getting people safely out of the premises
Invacuation - bringing people safely into, or to safe parts within, the premises
Lockdown - securing the premises by locking doors
Communication - alerting people on the premises to danger
As there is an over-riding “as appropriate and reasonably practicable” clause, we continue to suggest to schools, without electronic access control, they should have a single integrated invacuation and lockdown procedure, focusing on securing classroom doors.
A misconception still prevalent is that schools with large events (sports day, concerts etc.) with over 800 attendees will need to have specialist security procedures. This is not the case as the final version of the legislation specifically excludes educational premise from the scope of so-called “qualifying events”.
AI Schools offer a one-day package to support schools in getting aligned with the above.
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