Martyn's Law: Reducing Risk and Raising Readiness in Schools

Martyn’s Law is no longer a future consideration — it is a new and emerging compliance duty for schools and trusts. With a 24-month implementation window now underway, leaders are being asked a simple question: are your schools prepared?

Following the Manchester Arena attack, the subsequent inquiry exposed a clear and consistent gap across public venues: a lack of defined expectations, joined-up emergency planning and real readiness for fast-moving incidents. Martyn’s Law was introduced to close that gap, placing a legal responsibility on organisations to ensure proportionate preparedness is in place.

For schools, this is not about alarms or turning sites into security operations. It is about clarity, knowing what to do, who leads, and how to respond when it matters most. This session will cut through the noise to explain what the legislation means in practice, what actions leaders should be taking now, and how to approach compliance in a way that is proportionate, structured and achievable.

During the session, we will be looking at:

• • Let us introduce you to this week's professional speaker, Karen Daykin-Woodberry

Karen is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (CMIOSH) and a Member of the International Institute of Risk & Safety Management who joined Judicium in 2025. Her role is a Health, Safety and Fire Consultant to the schools we work with. Karen also delivers training courses. To relax, Karen likes to spend time out and about either as a scout leader, a target sports instructor, or camping and walking with her two dogs.