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See the change. Examine the evidence.
Understand what it means for schools.

Editorial intelligenceAcademic year 2026/27
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School Connection / A continuing editorial programme

Martyn’s Law &
School Protective Preparedness

Understand the responsibility.
Prepare with purpose.

The new education guidance gives schools a clearer basis for preparation. Our reporting follows what it means for your setting, the people who need to act and the decisions to settle before commissioning work.

Begin with the new guidance

Why this needs a connected conversation

A shared understanding comes before a spending decision.

A leader needs to know which premises are involved, who is responsible and whether the arrangements people rely on will work. A policy title or a product description cannot settle those questions on its own.

The DfE’s 3 November explainer develops the education-specific detail. We connect it with school leadership, existing security guidance and practical preparation. The purpose is to help your team understand its position, agree the next action and recognise where competent advice is needed.

The DfE explainer is non-statutory and accompanies the Home Office’s statutory guidance. Each feature keeps legal requirements, recommended practice and School Connection’s interpretation distinct.

01 / Understand what has changed

Start with the school decision.

Read the new guidance through the decisions leaders face, then follow the continuation that fits your setting.

02 / Put the understanding to work

Leave the meeting with a clearer next action.

Use the preparation guide with the colleagues who understand the premises, safeguarding, operations and governance. Record the answer you have and the question still open.

Practical guide and editable record

Prepare your school’s next protective-security decision

Work through five connected stages. Bring the school’s existing evidence into one discussion and give unresolved work an owner, a purpose and a review date.

Read the preparation guide Download the working record (CSV)

This is a suggested preparation tool. It does not certify compliance or determine a school’s legal position. Complete the record locally and keep sensitive information in approved school systems.

  1. Establish the premises and the people present
  2. Separate legal responsibility from coordination
  3. Review the procedures people need to understand
  4. Follow responsibility beyond the school day
  5. Give any further work a clear purpose

03 / The developing record

One conversation, with the dates attached.

Earlier reporting remains part of the story. New guidance advances the questions; it does not change the original publication date.

  1. Establish the campus, its uses and who controls them

    Our earlier independent-school review examined October’s premises clarification and the responsibility questions behind a shared estate.

  2. The DfE publishes its education-specific explainer

    The 33-page document sets out scope, responsibility and preparation for education and childcare settings in England.

  3. Follow the guidance into the school’s next decision

    New main-site and independent-school features connect the development with a practical preparation guide and working record.

The official basis / Checked 5 November 2026

Keep the guidance beside the decision.

Use the official sources to establish the requirements and the support available. Our features explain their implications; the preparation record helps organise a discussion. Neither replaces an assessment of your school’s actual circumstances.

The DfE’s wider protective preparedness guidance and official templates remain available alongside this programme.

The outcome to work towards

Explain your position.
Give the next action a purpose.

Your team should be able to describe the premises under review, the body responsible, the arrangements already in place and what still needs resolving. That gives a governing discussion or a specialist brief a useful starting point.

Prepare the next conversation

What remains unclear for your school? Ask the editorial team or suggest follow-up coverage. Please leave out pupil information, confidential plans and details of site vulnerabilities.