Martyn’s Law for Schools & Education Settings

Martyn’s Law refers to the proposed Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill, which aims to improve security preparedness at publicly accessible premises. Under current proposals, locations where 200 or more individuals may be present at the same time fall within scope. For schools, this may apply during the normal school day in larger schools, assemblies and productions, open evenings and community events, as well as sports days or other large gatherings.

Even where a school operates below the 200-person threshold, the principles behind Martyn’s Law support good safeguarding practice, risk assessment and effective emergency planning. Schools should review capacity levels and event usage when assessing applicability.

Yes. Two-way radios provide instant, push-to-talk group communication during critical incidents. Radios support evacuation by helping people leave the building safely, invacuation by bringing pupils inside quickly, lockdown by restricting movement during a threat and overall critical incident coordination.

They allow senior leadership teams, safeguarding leads, first-aiders and site staff to issue real-time instructions, confirm area status, report concerns immediately and coordinate response without delay. Unlike mobile phones, radios allow one-to-many communication instantly, which is essential during fast-moving situations.

Encryption is not currently a legal requirement for schools. However, it is strongly recommended where sensitive information may be transmitted. Encrypted radios prevent unauthorised listening, protect safeguarding discussions, secure communication across multi-building or multi-academy trust sites and reduce the risk of external interception.

While basic analogue radios can be monitored using scanning devices, encrypted digital systems ensure messages remain confidential and protected. For schools handling safeguarding incidents, medical information or behavioural alerts, encryption provides an added layer of security.

In many emergency scenarios, yes. Two-way radios are often more effective because they work instantly at the press of one button, provide group broadcast communication, do not rely on public mobile networks, are less affected by network congestion, perform reliably in large or complex buildings and deliver clear audio in noisy playground or corridor environments.

Mobile networks can become overloaded during major incidents. Radios operate independently, making them a more dependable method for immediate, coordinated response. For critical incident communication, radios are typically the preferred primary tool.

The number required depends on site size, layout and safeguarding structure. Most schools begin by allocating radios to reception, the senior leadership team (SLT), safeguarding leads, first-aid staff, caretaking or estates teams and playground supervisors.

A small primary school may start with 8-15 radios, while larger secondary or multi-building campuses may require 20-40 or more, particularly where year leaders, pastoral teams and inclusion staff need coverage. A simple site review helps determine appropriate coverage and channel structure.

Only minimal training is required. Modern digital radios are designed to be simple and intuitive. Most staff require only brief guidance covering push-to-talk operation, channel use, emergency call features and basic radio etiquette.

Setup, configuration and channel programming can be handled during installation to ensure the system is ready for immediate use. No technical background is required for day-to-day operation.

Yes. Radio systems can integrate with panic buttons, fire alarms, lockdown systems and access control platforms using SMC Gateway. Integration enables automatic alert broadcasts to selected radios, faster staff notification, reduced response time and clear identification of alert location. This ensures the right staff receive the right information immediately, improving coordination during emergencies.