Aberdeenshire families will see new school safety drills

beehiveweb.co.uk editorial team 2026-08-26 13:47 4 min read

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By Beehive Web News Desk | 26 August 2026

Families across Aberdeenshire will see schools introduce planned practice for evacuation, invacuation and lockdown as the council prepares for new duties under Martyn’s Law.

Aberdeenshire Council has written to parents and carers explaining the changes. Families should read messages from their child’s school because the timing and format of exercises will reflect each building, its pupils and its existing emergency arrangements. The council anticipates one protective drill each year, although individual schedules have not been published.

The measures apply to schools controlled by Aberdeenshire Council. Officials describe them as precautionary additions to established fire and severe-weather procedures, rather than a response to a specific threat against local pupils.

Evacuation, invacuation and lockdown explained

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 creates a protect duty intended to reduce harm during a terrorist or serious violent incident. For schools, that means preparing three physical responses:

Evacuation: moving pupils and staff safely out of the school.
Invacuation: moving everyone away from danger into a safer location within the school grounds or building.
Lockdown: securing the premises to prevent people from entering or leaving while a potential danger is present.

Communication supports all three procedures. Schools must be able to provide pupils and staff with timely information and clear instructions about what they should do.

Invacuation may be the least familiar term for families. Unlike evacuation, it does not automatically mean leaving the building. It directs people towards an identified area where the risk of physical harm is lower.

Practice will be adapted by age and school

The council is not prescribing one identical exercise for every pupil. In some schools, practice may involve a calm classroom discussion about following staff instructions. Older learners may be asked to move to a designated safe space.

There is no general requirement described in the council’s plans for pupils to hide beneath desks. Headteachers will receive guidance on discussing the procedures without introducing frightening scenarios or creating unnecessary alarm.

Aberdeenshire families will see new school safety drills

Staff will visit every council-controlled school during the next 12 months. They will consider credible circumstances, the layout of each site, practical control measures and suitable safe spaces. This assessment also means arrangements may differ between primary schools, secondary schools and other education settings.

Detailed plans will not be released publicly because they form part of each school’s security arrangements. Parents will instead receive information appropriate to the exercises being conducted, while pupils will be told how to respond in age-appropriate language.

A two-year implementation period follows the 2025 Act

Martyn’s Law is the informal name of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025. It took effect in April 2025 with a two-year implementation period intended to give organisations time to prepare the required systems and procedures.

The UK Government published statutory guidance in April 2026. Aberdeenshire Council says it is using the implementation window to establish its Prepare and Protect Framework and integrate the new responses with schools’ existing safeguarding and emergency planning.

The legislation followed the 2017 Manchester Arena attack and is named after victim Martyn Hett. His mother, Figen Murray, campaigned for stronger preparedness requirements at publicly accessible premises.

Council reports no recent incident requiring the plans

Aberdeenshire Council says it has not recently encountered an incident that required these procedures to be used for real. It also says their introduction does not indicate an increased or immediate risk to pupils in the area.

The council’s August 2026 notice acknowledges that the national terrorism threat level was raised from substantial to severe at the end of April, while stressing that preparedness should remain calm and proportionate. Laurence Findlay, Director of Education and Children’s Services, said the framework focuses on reducing exposure to harm and supporting swift, coordinated decisions rather than trying to predict or prevent every possible incident.

Education committee chair Councillor David Keating said the policy is not about turning schools into fortresses. Over the coming months, each school will incorporate the general procedures in a form appropriate to its pupils and premises, while its security-sensitive assessment remains available only to staff and officials who need it.

Source: Aberdeenshire Council News

Context & actions About this article

Source check Source trail

The procedures, timetable and local risk statements were drawn from Aberdeenshire Council’s public notice for school families.

Checks

Confirmed the Act’s official name and its two-year implementation period.
Distinguished the three physical responses from the communication procedure supporting the...
Separated the national threat-level context from the council’s statement about local pupil...
Checked the expected annual drill frequency and restrictions on publishing school security...

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