The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, commonly known as Martyn’s Law, places new statutory duties on schools to have documented procedures in place for evacuation, invacuation, lockdown, and communication with staff on site.
For most schools, meeting those requirements will depend on how reliably staff can communicate during an incident. This article explains why two-way radios are well suited to that role, and what to look for when choosing a system.
What Martyn’s Law Requires from Schools
Martyn’s Law applies to premises where 200 or more people are reasonably expected to be present. All primary and secondary schools with a capacity of 200 or above are classified as standard duty premises. The law requires each school to appoint a responsible person, register with the Security Industry Authority (SIA), and have public protection procedures in place so far as reasonably practicable.
Those procedures must cover four areas: evacuation, invacuation (moving people to a safer location within the building), lockdown, and communication. Schools are placed in the standard duty tier regardless of capacity, even if more than 800 pupils and staff are on site. The Act received Royal Assent in April 2025. Statutory guidance was published in April 2026, and enforcement is expected to follow. Schools should treat this as an active planning priority, not a future concern.
Lockdown procedures only function effectively if staff can communicate instantly across the whole site. That single requirement is where many existing school communication setups fall short.
Why Mobile Phones Are Not Sufficient
Government guidance acknowledges existing internal messaging systems but stops short of recommending any specific technology. Mobile phones are widely available, but they introduce several practical problems during emergencies.
Mobile networks are shared infrastructure. During a local emergency, call volumes spike sharply, and network congestion can cause calls to fail or delay at exactly the moment they are needed most. In rural locations, coverage can be unreliable even under normal conditions. Mobile calls must be dialled individually, received, and then answered before communication begins — a process that takes time a lockdown situation does not allow. Group messaging by text or app is faster, but still depends on data connectivity and is not genuinely instant.
These are not edge cases. They are predictable failure points in a communication method designed for everyday use, not emergency coordination across a large site with dozens of staff in different locations.
How Two-Way Radios Support Lockdown Procedures
Two-way radios work on licensed radio frequencies, independent of mobile networks and internet connectivity. Pressing the push-to-talk button transmits immediately to every radio on the same channel, with no dialling, no waiting, and no dependency on a mast or router. This makes them reliable precisely in the scenarios where mobile communication is most likely to fail.
For school lockdown procedures specifically, the key advantages are:
- Instant one-to-many communication. A single transmission reaches all staff on a channel simultaneously. A lockdown alert does not have to be relayed through a cascade of individual calls.
- Channel segmentation. Different user groups — senior leadership, site security, pastoral staff, caretakers — can operate on separate channels while remaining reachable on a shared emergency channel. This mirrors the tiered communication that effective lockdown procedures require.
- No network dependency. Radios function independently of school Wi-Fi, the mobile network, and the internet. They remain operational when other systems are overloaded or unavailable.
- Encrypted communication. Digital two-way radios support encrypted transmissions, meaning that sensitive communications during an incident cannot be intercepted by anyone outside the intended user group.
Useful Features for School Environments
Beyond basic voice communication, modern digital two-way radios include features that add practical value during emergencies and everyday school operations.
GPS tracking allows a site manager or control room to locate staff across the school grounds in real time. During a lockdown, knowing where members of staff are positioned makes it easier to account for everyone on site and to direct any response.
Lone worker protection is relevant for staff who are isolated during a lockdown — caretakers checking entry and exit points, for example, or staff in remote areas of a large campus. The radio will prompt the user to confirm they are safe at set intervals; if they do not respond, an alert is sent automatically.
Man-down alerts detect if a radio has been dropped and left horizontal, triggering an automatic alarm. This is a passive safety feature that requires no action from the user to activate.
Discreet form factors. Modern digital radios are considerably lighter and more compact than earlier models. Staff carrying a radio throughout a full school day need something they will not notice when not in use, and that will not interfere with their movement during an emergency.
Planning a Radio System Around Your Site
The right system configuration depends on the size and layout of the school. Smaller schools with a single building may find that a straightforward single-channel or two-channel setup meets their needs. Larger sites with multiple buildings, outdoor areas, and separate teams will benefit from a more structured approach: dedicated channels for different departments, with a shared emergency channel that all radios can access.
For very large campuses, a repeater can extend coverage across the whole site so that transmissions reach reliably from one end of the grounds to the other. Coverage should be tested before finalising any system, particularly in older buildings with thick walls or basements where signal can be absorbed.
It is also worth considering how the radio system integrates with any existing PA or alert infrastructure. Some schools use their radio network to trigger site-wide audio alerts automatically, which can reduce the time between an incident being identified and a lockdown being initiated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Martyn’s Law require schools to buy specific communication equipment?
No. The Act is outcomes-focused and does not mandate specific hardware. Schools must have procedures in place for lockdown, evacuation, invacuation, and communication, and those procedures must work reliably in practice. The choice of communication technology is for each school to determine based on its site and operational needs.
Which schools does Martyn’s Law apply to?
All state and independent primary and secondary schools with a site capacity of 200 or more are within scope as standard duty premises. Schools are placed in the standard duty tier regardless of capacity, even if more than 800 people are on site. Early years settings, further education colleges, and higher education institutions are treated separately under the Act.
Are two-way radios better than mobile phones for school emergencies?
For site-wide emergency communication, yes. Two-way radios transmit instantly to all users on a channel with a single button press, do not depend on the mobile network, and work independently of internet connectivity. Mobile phones require calls to be made individually, are affected by network congestion, and introduce delays that are difficult to accept during a time-critical incident.
Do two-way radios work across a large school campus?
Standard digital two-way radios cover most single-site school campuses effectively. For very large sites, multi-building campuses, or locations with coverage challenges, a repeater can extend range significantly. Coverage should always be tested on-site before a system is signed off, since building materials and layout affect how radio signals propagate.
Can communications be kept confidential during a lockdown?
Digital two-way radios support encrypted communication as standard on many models. Encryption ensures that transmissions cannot be monitored by anyone outside the school’s own radio network. Analogue radios do not offer the same level of protection.
What is lone worker protection and why does it matter for schools?
Lone worker is a feature on digital two-way radios that prompts the user to confirm they are safe at set intervals. If they fail to respond, the radio automatically sends an alert to a nominated contact. It is particularly useful for staff who may be isolated during a lockdown, such as caretakers or staff securing entry points across a large site.
How many radios does a school typically need?
There is no fixed answer, but a useful starting point is to assign a radio to each member of staff who has a defined role in the school’s emergency procedures. Senior leaders, site managers, heads of year, and reception staff are common starting points. Schools with larger sites or more complex procedures may need a larger deployment with structured channel plans.
Can radios be used for everyday school communication as well as emergencies?
Yes. Most schools use their radio systems day-to-day for facilities management, break and lunch supervision, visitor access coordination, and general site communication. Radios used regularly are also radios that staff are confident using in an emergency, which is a practical benefit worth considering when planning a system.
Talk to Us About Radios for Your School
Whether you are reviewing your emergency communication procedures ahead of Martyn’s Law or replacing an existing radio system, 2CL Communications can advise on the right equipment for your site, your team, and your procedures.