A school is in scope of Martyn's Law if 200 or more people can reasonably be expected on site at the same time. Pupils, staff and visitors all count. For every school in scope, the law places its duty on the responsible person.
The responsible person by type of school
The Department for Education sets out who the responsible person is:
- Maintained schools: the governing body.
- Academies and free schools: the academy trust. In a multi-academy trust, that is the trust, for each of its schools in scope.
- Independent schools: the proprietor, which may be a board of governors or trustees, a company or an individual.
It is not the headteacher or the business manager personally, and it is not the local authority.
Who does the work?
Almost always, the headteacher or school business manager. That is sensible: they know the site and the staff. The governing body or trust keeps the accountability, and delegates the day-to-day work.
A short item at your next governors' or trust meeting can settle three things, recorded in the minutes:
- That the governing body, trust or proprietor is the responsible person.
- Who will lead the work day to day.
- When the procedures will come back to governors or the trust for review.
What the responsible person is accountable for
- Having the four procedures in place: evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication.
- Notifying the SIA within three months of the law coming into force, and reporting changes within 28 days. Our guide to SIA notification explains what you will be asked.
- Making sure the procedures are kept up to date.
For multi-academy trusts
A trust is the responsible person for each of its schools in scope, and each school needs procedures that fit its own site. A trust-wide framework with school-level procedures is a sensible way to work, so that every school follows the same approach while reflecting its own buildings and staff.
For the full picture, read Martyn's Law for schools: what you need to do.
