Update from Richard Ainsworth – the BGA Chair

by | Apr 29, 2026 | Bury Governor Association Meeting

We had a fantastic spring conference with the Bury Encore Youth Fire Choir returning as our aural introduction, followed by Figen Murray OBE.

Figen is Martyn’s mother, Martyn was killed at the Manchester Arena bombing and she has campaigned for public event safety ever since, resulting in the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, more commonly known as Martyn’s Law. We wanted governors to know what this meant for schools:

  • Standard Duty Tier – applies to schools (even if they trigger the Enhanced Duty Tier 800+) and no changes to buildings are needed.  School staff need to know how to lockdown, evacuate, and communicate the danger.
  • Enhanced Duty Tier – applies to venues over 800 capacity and necessitates additional measures (CCTV, bag-checks, scanners etc.) not required for schools, even if they exceed the 800 capacity.
  • SIA is the regulator for the changes needed.
  • The Responsible Person is the person already in charge of Health & Safety, premises or events organisation.
  • Schools need to register with SIA (Security Industry Authority) and fines / sanctions will apply if they don’t comply with the new law.
  • Whilst the guidance is not expected until Spring 2026, the home office & SIA are working at speed. Enormous amounts of work are happening in the background in both organisations. Check out Martyn’s Law | ProtectUK, especially the 2-minute video.

We also had a discussion about the role of the BGA, including changing the name from Bury Governor Association to Bury Governance Association (in line with the NGA) to recognise the changing landscape of governing in different settings and at different levels – almost unanimously supported.

SEND was also a subject we feel strongly about, so we’re focussing on that for summer and autumn meetings – keep an eye on your emails for more details. This review of SEND includes a revised Graduated Approach which reflects a stronger commitment to early intervention, inclusion, culturally responsive practice and shared accountability; we hope to share what it means for governors later this term.