At Matrix Academy Trust, we believe that school safety must evolve to meet today's challenges. Our mission is to shape and influence national guidance by providing schools with a proactive, structured response to critical incidents, including lockdowns. SMART Response® was developed not only to improve immediate response but to change future legislation — ensuring all schools have consistent, practical, and tested procedures to protect students and staff.

What is SMART Response?

SMART Response® is Matrix Academy Trust's trademarked lockdown and incident response strategy. It provides a levelled, practical approach to emergency incidents – combining clear roles, well-designed training, and ongoing scenario-based testing. After experiencing lockdowns across our Trust, we realised the national guidance was vague and inconsistent. So, we built SMART Response® to be the gold standard. And now, we're giving it away for free — because protecting children is bigger than just our schools.

SMART Response® is officially trademarked and designed using national crisis management procedures and government legislation. All content is supported by RoSPA-accredited modules.

180

UK Schools have experienced lockdowns in 2024-2025

Lockdowns Across the UK

In the past 24 months, over 180 UK schools have experienced lockdowns due to:

  • Knife incidents near school premises
  • Suspicious persons or intruders
  • Nearby police operations
  • Online threats targeting schools

Despite the rise, very few schools have access to consistent and effective response training.

SMART Response® bridges that gap.

85%

Product Quality Index

92%

Energy Generation

Data has been sourced and verified by reported lockdown incidents through national press 2023-2025

Supporting Schools Across the West Midlands

Matrix Academy Trust has already helped over 150 school leaders and operational staff across the West Midlands build confidence in managing critical incidents through our free SMART Response® training.

Delivered by experienced practitioners and designed around real-life scenarios, our sessions give headteachers, safeguarding leads, and operational staff the tools to plan, communicate, and act proportionately during an emergency.

By sharing our defined role and levelled emergency response model at no cost, we're helping schools create safer environments, strengthen their safeguarding culture, and ensure staff feel calm, prepared, and supported when facing potential threats.

85%

Product Quality Index

92%

Energy Generation

"We will be training staff and adopting the SMART Response materials asap"
Attendee of SMART Response Training
"It was extremely comprehensive"
Attendee of SMART Response Training, Your Content Goes Here

"We have fully implemented our SMART Response as a result of the training"

Attendee of SMART Response Training, Your Content Goes Here
"It was great that Bloxwich were so honest about what went wrong and share the resources that they had made after their incident. Thank you so much to all involved"
Attendee of SMART Response Training, Your Content Goes Here
"We plan to implement SMART Response as soon as possible and do further training with our team"
Attendee of SMART Response Training, Your Content Goes Here
"Training was very good and we left with raised confidence in our ability to manage difficult situations going forwards"
Attendee of SMART Response Training, Your Content Goes Here

Training Modules – Free for All

Access SMART Response® training your way — watch modules directly from this site or complete them via FLICK (subscription required). Each course includes an interactive multiple-choice test, and successful learners will earn a prestigious RoSPA-accredited certificate, demonstrating nationally recognised excellence in emergency preparedness.

Our training is presented by Mark Wingett – an actor and advocate best known for his roles in The Bill and Quadrophenia. Mark brings clarity and weight to the training, helping staff connect emotionally and practically with the real-life consequences of a poor or slow emergency response.

Introduction

In this opening module, actor and presenter Mark Wingett welcomes you to SMART Response® — Matrix Academy Trust's trademarked emergency strategy for schools.

You'll learn what SMART Response is, why it matters, and how it helps staff stay calm and in control when faced with the unexpected. This short film sets the tone for the rest of your training.

Module 1: Why Matrix SMART Response®?

In this module, Mark Wingett guides you through the origin of SMART Response® — why it was created, what problems it solves, and how it provides more than just a lockdown plan. You'll hear from the team who developed the system and learn how a strategic, measured approach can transform safety across a school community.

Module 2: SMART Response® The Levelled Approach

Here, Mark explains the SMART Response® Levelled Approach — a structured five-step system for responding to threats in a calm, proportionate way. From Level 0 (monitoring) to Level 4 (full lockdown), you'll see how each level builds logically on the last, keeping staff and pupils safe without creating panic.

Module 3: SMART Response® Roles and Responsibilities

This module dives into who does what during a SMART Response® incident. With Mark's help, you'll meet the Gold, Silver, and Bronze roles — the strategic, tactical, and operational leads. You'll also explore the vital supporting roles such as Chief of Staff and Scribe. Staying in role is key, and this video shows you exactly why.

Module 4: SMART Response® Lockdown and Aftermath

In this session, Mark takes you through a full Level 4 SMART Response® — a serious internal threat. You'll learn the key steps every staff member must take to protect pupils during a lockdown, and just as importantly, what happens once it's over. From securing classrooms to supporting wellbeing, this module covers it all.

Module 5: SMART Response® Developing Practice into Policy

This thoughtful module explains how SMART Response® evolves over time. Mark shares how feedback from drills, staff training, and real-life incidents helps shape policy. You'll see how your experiences on the ground are used to refine procedures and keep the system fresh, relevant, and legally compliant.

Module 6: SMART Response® Example Scenarios

In this practical module, Mark walks you through real-life school incidents — both high-risk and low-level — showing SMART Response® in action. You'll apply what you've learned, see how cue phrases are used, and understand how calm decision-making keeps everyone safe, whatever the situation.

SMART Response® & Martyn's Law

While SMART Response® is a standalone system, it has been developed in close alignment with Martyn's Law, also known as the Protect Duty. Our guidance addresses the five key pillars of Martyn's Law:

  • Preparedness
  • Mitigation
  • Response
  • Recovery
  • Communication

We've worked closely with national crisis management teams to ensure that SMART Response® supports your compliance with Martyn's Law.

SMART Response® & Martyn's Law

This important module connects SMART Response® to upcoming UK legislation known as Martyn's Law (or the Protect Duty). Mark explains how SMART Response® already meets its five key legal requirements, helping schools stay ahead of the law and ready to respond to evolving threats.

From 3 April 2025, Martyn's Law became legislation, with an implementation period of at least 24 months before duties come into force. Education settings (early years, primary, secondary and further education) have a special consideration and will sit in the Standard Tier regardless of capacity. Higher education follows the normal capacity test (200–799 Standard; 800+ Enhanced). Regulation will be overseen by the Security Industry Authority (SIA), with a requirement to appoint a Responsible Person for your setting. Duties focus on procedures (evacuation, invacuation, lockdown) and communication; there is no requirement to install physical security measures.
 
How SMART Response® meets the requirements
 
1) Required procedures (evacuation, invacuation, lockdown, communication)
SMART Response® provides a proportionate, levelled framework (Levels 0–4) with clear actions for investigation, invacuation, partial restrictions and full lockdown, plus approved internal/external communications. This meets the Act's core expectation for prepared procedures covering evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communications.
 
2) Role clarity & command
Our Gold–Silver–Bronze structure defines strategic, tactical and operational responsibilities, with a Chief of Staff and Scribe function for information control and decision logging—supporting accountable command during any incident and the post-incident record required for learning/improvement.
 
3) Training & awareness
SMART Response® includes staff-wide training modules, role cards and scenario exercises so colleagues understand procedures and their role under pressure. This aligns to the Act's emphasis on preparedness and staff training for proportionate responses.
 
4) Appointing the Responsible Person (and DSI where required)
For schools and colleges within the Standard Tier special consideration, the Responsible Person will be the relevant body (for example, governing body/Trust). Where an education setting falls into the Enhanced Tier (e.g., some HE venues), a Designated Senior Individual (DSI) is also required to document compliance. SMART Response® documentation packs and logs make that record-keeping straightforward.
 
5) Documentation & continuous improvement
SMART Response® templates include decision logs, debrief forms, drill records and communication scripts, supporting the Act's expectation that procedures are maintained, tested and reviewed to remain effective.
 
6) Proportionate, tier-aware application
Because most schools/FE are Standard Tier regardless of capacity, SMART Response®'s levelled approach helps you avoid unnecessary full lockdowns, reduces disruption, and still meets the legal threshold for preparedness. HE settings can extend the same framework to meet Enhanced Tier documentation expectations where relevant.
 
What you'll need to do next
  • Name your Responsible Person (Trust/governing body) and update governance references in your policy.
  • Adopt SMART Response® procedures and role cards across the whole site (including lettings/out-of-hours).
  • Schedule training and drills and keep decision/debrief logs for assurance and improvement.
  • Prepare to notify the SIA as regulator when the Act comes into force and follow forthcoming statutory guidance during the implementation period.
 
Using SMART Response® now will put your school in a strong position to be implementation-ready for Martyn's Law within the government's timeline, while keeping responses calm, structured and proportionate.

SMART Response® Procedures in Practice

In this module, Mark Wingett takes you through a realistic Levelled Approach scenario to show how SMART Response® works in practice. You'll see a full breakdown of each key role — Gold, Silver, Bronze and support staff — and how they communicate and act in real time. From initial threat identification through to response and debrief, this session brings everything together, showing SMART Response® as a live, functioning system that protects pupils and staff.

Free Downloads & Resources

Our complete suite of SMART Response® materials is available for free download:

SMART Response Policy
Training Modules
Bronze and Silver Activity Cards
Multiple Choice Tests (Module Comprehension)
SMART Response® Scenario Testing Template
SMART Response® Premises Audit Template
Crisis Response Forms
Martyn's Law Response Readiness Checklist
Organisational Risk & Readiness Toolkit
Readiness Self-Assessment Toolkit
Model and Recovery Tooklit
RAMP Analysis Report Template

Need Support? Let Us Help Further

We can offer:

  • On-site SMART Response® delivery by our expert team
  • Review of your school site to align with SMART Response® guidance
  • Whole-staff and SLT scenario-based training
  • Train-the-trainer sessions to embed SMART Response® long-term

Let us help you ensure that your school is SMART, safe, and future-ready.

How SMART Response® Links to the National Decision Model (DIVER)

The Matrix SMART Response® framework is designed to work hand-in-hand with the UK National Decision Model (NDM), widely used by emergency services to guide safe, proportionate decisions in high-pressure situations.

Our approach mirrors the DIVER structure — Define, Identify, Verify, Evaluate, Review — and translates it into clear, school-focused actions:

Define the Threat – Understand what is happening on site and establish the potential risk level (0–4).

Identify Roles & Actions – Allocate Gold (strategic), Silver (tactical), and Bronze (operational) roles, plus supporting roles such as Chief of Staff and Scribe.

Verify Safety & Ethics – Check that decisions are proportionate, lawful, and in line with safeguarding and duty of care.

Evaluate Risk & Impact – Weigh the potential harm to pupils, staff, and responders, and choose the safest response level.

Review & Reassess – Continually adapt as information changes, and debrief to strengthen future planning.

By aligning with the NDM's proven decision-making cycle, SMART Response® ensures that schools respond to threats with the same structured, ethical and risk-aware approach trusted by police and other emergency services — but tailored specifically to an educational environment.

Case Study: Bloxwich Academy

On 1st February 2024, Bloxwich Academy experienced a lockdown incident that exposed serious flaws in traditional school lockdown procedures.

An alleged intruder was seen on the school grounds. Following the standard "on/off" lockdown guidance, the school initiated a full lockdown. While the initial response followed procedure, events quickly escalated beyond control. Some pupils, using mobile phones during the lockdown, began sharing exaggerated information on social media about the incident — claims that spread quickly and caused unnecessary panic.

Although the "intruder" was soon identified as a truanting pupil, the damage had been done. Within 30 minutes, over 100 parents and members of the public gathered at the school gates, with some attempting to force entry. This created a secondary crisis for school staff and police, who had to manage not just internal safety, but also external disruption and community unrest.

The lesson learned? The school had no proportionate or phased response. It was an all-or-nothing decision – lockdown or nothing – with all responsibility falling on the Headteacher. There were no defined roles, no structured communication plan, and no scalable tactical response.

Had the school adopted the SMART Response® levelled approach, they could have investigated the situation calmly, escalated only if necessary, and ensured that key roles (Gold, Silver, Bronze) were in place to manage communication, coordination and wellbeing. The emotional and reputational impact could have been significantly reduced, and the wellbeing of staff, students and the wider community better protected.

Click Below to access Matrix (inhouse only) Microsoft Forms Assessments. Official Certification will be achieved via FLICK. For external users please contact FLICK Learning directly.
Module 1: https://forms.office.com/e/90zEcvPqhb
Module 2: https://forms.office.com/e/x8MSP6FneV
Module 3: https://forms.office.com/e/m69XA3WW3D
Module 4: https://forms.office.com/e/Ls2Aj2BND0
Module 5: https://forms.office.com/e/7XJVMhfLEX
Module 6: https://forms.office.com/e/8amBUQFNuS
Martyn's Law: https://forms.office.com/e/eJheDyyjic