Martyn’s Law training in 2026: 5 steps to prepare your venue
Check Martyn’s Law scope, expected timing and staff preparation. Compare free official learning and learn what to ask before commissioning paid support.
Key takeaways
- Check Martyn’s Law scope, expected timing and staff preparation.
- Compare free official learning and learn what to ask before commissioning paid support.
- What venue and event teams need to know before implementation.
What venue and event teams need to know before implementation.
Martyn’s Law does not mandate a particular training course. People implementing public protection procedures need to understand their roles and be able to carry them out. Free official learning, including ACT Awareness and SCaN for All, costs £0 and can support preparation; paid help should address a specific gap. As checked on 23 October 2026, the SIA expects commencement in spring 2027, with the exact date still to be confirmed. Start by checking whether your premises or event is in scope, then plan the instruction and practice your team needs.
Sources checked 23 October 2026: SIA overview (17 July 2026); further official guidance and learning links appear below.
1 Check whether your premises or event is in scope
This is not a duty applying to every employer. For premises, the tests include a building or part of one, qualifying uses under Schedule 1, a reasonable expectation of at least 200 people being present at the same time from time to time, and no applicable exclusion. Staff count towards the number present.
Most qualifying premises expecting 200–799 people fall in the standard tier; 800 or more generally means enhanced. Certain education and childcare premises, and places of worship, remain standard tier despite higher numbers. Qualifying events have separate tests, including public access, specified entry checks and at least 800 people expected at the same time. Events at enhanced-tier premises are treated differently. Capacity alone does not settle scope.
Use the Home Office statutory guidance (updated 25 August 2026) to check all criteria, exceptions and responsibility for your site. Identify who controls the relevant premises or event and will hold responsibility. HR may organise learning without being the responsible person under the Act.
2 Separate preparation now from duties on commencement
The Act received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025. The Home Office factsheet, updated in April 2026, says there is no legal requirement to comply with this legislation until it comes into force. Use the implementation period to understand what will apply and plan proportionate work. Recheck the SIA’s current commencement information before setting deadlines or approving a purchase.
The standard-tier focus is appropriate public protection procedures covering evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication. Enhanced-tier premises and qualifying events have additional requirements, including reasonably practicable measures to reduce vulnerability, documentation and senior responsibility where the responsible person is an organisation. Buying training is only one possible part of preparing for these responsibilities.
3 Work out what each role needs to know
A useful learning brief starts with your procedures and the people expected to implement them. Reception staff, supervisors, security colleagues and temporary event workers may need different instruction. Ask what each group must understand, who makes decisions, how instructions are communicated and what happens when the usual manager is absent.
For example, an event team could use a staff briefing to check roles, reporting routes and approved instructions. Supervisors can then discuss a scenario using the organisation’s procedures, identify unclear responsibilities and arrange further instruction. Involve whoever owns the site’s security arrangements.
The statutory guidance does not specify a mandatory course. ProtectUK’s Martyn’s Law FAQs (15 October 2026) explain the distinction between useful learning and compliance. A completion certificate records participation; it cannot establish that your organisation’s arrangements meet the Act.
4 Choose learning and support to match the gap
Start with the official resources below. Use awareness learning to build understanding, then connect it with your organisation’s procedures and staff responsibilities. If you commission help, specify what you need the supplier to deliver and how you will assess the work.
Resource or support | Audience and purpose | Format | Price and basis |
|---|---|---|---|
Home Office and SIA guidance | Those establishing scope, responsibility and requirements | Official guidance to read and apply | Free access |
ACT Awareness | Staff building general counter-terrorism awareness | Online learning through ProtectUK | £0 course access |
SCaN for All | Staff learning about vigilance, hostile reconnaissance and reporting | Online or an internally facilitated session | £0 resource access |
Commercial learning and tailored support | Online awareness, or a defined gap requiring site-specific help | ProTrainings online course below; tailored support scoped separately | Confirm course fee; bespoke work quoted separately |
Find ACT Awareness in the ProtectUK learning catalogue. The Home Office’s supplementary learning document lists it as a free online resource suitable for staff at all levels. Allow time for staff to complete the learning and discuss how it relates to their work.
For SCaN for All, the same official learning document describes online access or a 30–60 minute session facilitated within the organisation using supplied notes. This focuses on awareness of hostile reconnaissance, vigilance and reporting. Check the particular SCaN product: the wider suite includes paid specialist options.
Resource descriptions and free access are documented in Home Office supplementary document C (updated 25 August 2026). These resources support learning; they do not replace site-specific instruction or determine legal compliance.
A provider to explore on TheTM
ProTrainings Europe is listed on The Training Marketplace and publishes a Martyn’s Law Level 2 (VTQ) online course. Its course outline includes the 2025 Act, implementation and staff awareness. Ask which version reflects current statutory guidance and whether it fits your team’s roles. This is an option to enquire about, not a compliance endorsement or a substitute for site-specific preparation.
View the published course outline and introduction. Confirm the current syllabus, fee and support before booking.
5 Commission any extra help with a clear brief
Describe your premises or event, participants, preparation completed and the gap to address. Ask suppliers about relevant experience, comparable work and how they use current guidance. Establish what site information they need and what the facilitator will deliver.
Compare the complete work and price: preparation, site involvement, participant numbers, instruction, exercises, materials and follow-up. Confirm VAT, travel, licence charges and responsibility for updating material. Agree the scope before comparing fees; an awareness session and a tailored exercise are different purchases.
Keep ownership within your organisation. Agree how supervisors will check understanding and brief new starters, contractors and temporary staff where relevant. Record progress and unresolved issues. Review arrangements when responsibilities, staffing, premises or events change; do not assume the Act prescribes a fixed annual course.
Frequently asked questions
Is a specific Martyn’s Law training course mandatory?
No particular course is mandated. People implementing public protection procedures and measures need the understanding and capability appropriate to their roles. Choose learning and instruction around the arrangements your organisation needs to implement.
Does Martyn’s Law apply to an ordinary office?
Office use is not itself a Schedule 1 qualifying use. A separate part of a building used for a qualifying purpose, or a qualifying event held there, may still be in scope. Check the full premises and event criteria in official guidance.
When will Martyn’s Law take effect?
As checked on 23 October 2026, the SIA expects the Act to come into force in spring 2027 and says the exact date will be confirmed. Recheck the official position before relying on a deadline.
Is free Martyn’s Law learning available?
Free official resources include ACT Awareness and SCaN for All. They can support counter-terrorism awareness and staff preparation. Connect the learning with your own premises or event procedures; resource completion alone is insufficient to establish compliance.
Does completing a course make our venue compliant?
No. A training certificate does not establish compliance. Responsibility covers the relevant procedures, measures and other duties applying to the premises or event. The SIA is the regulator; ProtectUK does not assess or certify compliance.
Find training support through The Training Marketplace
On The Training Marketplace, describe your venue, staff roles and learning gaps. Use TaMi to explore training options, then ask providers to confirm relevant experience and exactly what they can deliver.
Explore compliance training providers on TheTM and use the official guidance to assess each proposal. Confirm any Martyn’s Law-specific capability directly and agree who will apply the learning at your premises or event.
About Peter Evans: Dr Peter Evans is Co-founder and CEO of The Training Marketplace, with more than 35 years’ experience in corporate training. He writes Training Journal’s column, Before It Becomes Training, and co-authors Training magazine’s Training Pulse column. He built two global training businesses: 7city Learning, now part of Fitch Learning, where he co-led more than 90 trainers as Joint Managing Director; and CTG, which he founded and sold to ILX.
Recommended providers
ProTrainings Europe — Martyn’s Law awareness through online learning
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