Automated SAR Processing Built for Schools

Designed for every kind of school – specialist, primary, secondary and all-through – Fisar automates the entire SAR process, from identity verification through to secure delivery. GDPR compliance, safeguarding alignment and complete audit oversight, without placing additional burden on teaching or administrative staff.

30 days

→

12 hours

95% reduction in SAR processing time

GDPR compliant

Secure, encrypted data handling

About

Advanced Automation

Robust Security

Saves Time & Money

Eliminates Compliance Risk

Schools across the UK are overwhelmed by manual SAR processes that consume hours of staff time and create unnecessary compliance pressure. Headteachers, DPOs and school business managers are forced to coordinate emails, MIS records, safeguarding logs and CCTV footage manually – often under tight ICO deadlines.

Fisar transforms this process. Our platform connects directly to your school systems, automatically aggregates relevant data, removes duplication, assists with redaction and delivers completed SAR packs securely.
What used to take 20–30 hours per request becomes a structured, compliant workflow completed in minutes.

Integrates With

The School

SAR Challenge

Why SARs Create Pressure
in Schools

Learn More

Subject Access Requests are uniquely challenging in school environments. Data exists across multiple systems, safeguarding considerations must be handled carefully and staff time is limited. Whether you're a specialist school with 60 pupils or an all-through school covering ages 4–18, manual fulfilment introduces risk, disruption and stress.

Manual Data Collection

School staff spend 20–30 hours per request searching MIS platforms, email accounts, safeguarding systems and archived records.

Safeguarding Sensitivity

Requests often involve pupil records, behavioural logs or safeguarding notes requiring careful review and redaction.

Operational Disruption

Teachers and administrators are pulled away from their core educational responsibilities to manage compliance tasks.

Compliance & ICO Risk

Missing deadlines or disclosing incomplete or incorrectly redacted information can expose schools to regulatory scrutiny.

Built for Education

A School-Centred SAR Platform

Fisar replaces fragmented manual processes with a secure, education -specific SAR workflow. Every stage is designed around how schools actually store, manage and protect data.

The result is faster responses, reduced staff workload and complete compliance confidence for leadership teams and governing bodies.

System Integration for Schools

Fisar connects to Microsoft 365 today, alongside education MIS platforms including Bromcom and Arbor, so pupil records, email and files sit in one secure environment. Google Workspace, Slack and further UK school systems are on the roadmap. CCTV footage and other media are added by secure upload, eliminating manual searching across disconnected systems.

Automated Search & Redaction

Our intelligent engine identifies relevant records across connected school systems and assists with redaction of third-party pupil data and sensitive information. Staff retain full oversight and approval control before any information is released.

De-duplication & Case Consolidation

Duplicate documents are removed automatically and records are structured into a single organised SAR pack. Schools avoid repetitive review and ensure clarity in disclosure.

Secure Delivery & Audit Readiness

Completed SAR packs are delivered via encrypted, time-limited access links. Every action is logged automatically, providing a complete audit trail suitable for internal governance or ICO review.

Our Process

Four Stages. Fully Compliant.

Fisar guides schools through a structured, compliant process that aligns with ICO guidance and safeguarding expectations.

Setup &

& Integration

Quick Onboarding

Connect Your Systems

Secure Setup

MIS & Email

Fisar-Led Setup

Learn More

After signing up, you'll receive access to your secure Fisar account. Once your invoice is paid, your account activates automatically and your onboarding is booked in. We assign your DPO logins directly, then set up your MIS and email connectors with you, remotely or in person – no complex IT project on your side. From payment to your first SAR, onboarding takes up to two weeks.

Fisar SAR Monitoring queue: every request logged with a reference, status and due date

SAR Request

Intake

Portal Submission

Auto Log & Acknowledge

Tracked from Day One

Reference Assigned

Deadline Safe

Learn More

Subject Access Requests are submitted directly through your school's dedicated web portal. The system automatically logs each request, assigns a reference number and sends immediate acknowledgement to the requester. No more lost requests or forgotten deadlines – everything is tracked from day one.

A request open in Fisar: identity verified and data gathering under way, 45% complete

Data Collection

& Identity Verification

Secure ID Check

One‑Click Aggregation

Pull from All Systems

MIS & Email Sync

Data Collection in Minutes

Learn More

Fisar automatically emails the requester a secure link to upload identification documents. Meanwhile, your DPO can trigger the automated data aggregation with a single click. Fisar connects to all your integrated systems simultaneously – pulling student records from your MIS, searching email archives and gathering other connected data sources. CCTV footage and other media are added by secure upload to the same request.

Review &

Secure Delivery

AI-Assisted Redaction

DPO Approval

Encrypted Delivery

Full Audit Trail

Learn More

All collected documents are processed through our AI-powered redaction system to automatically remove personal information that shouldn't be shared. You're then provided with a completed pack that can be reviewed and manually adjusted if needed. Following approval, Fisar sends everything using a secure, encrypted package to the requester via email and marks it complete with a full audit trail.

Setup &

& Integration

Quick Onboarding

Connect Your Systems

Secure Setup

MIS & Email

Fisar-Led Setup

Learn More

After signing up, you'll receive access to your secure Fisar account. Once your invoice is paid, your account activates automatically and your onboarding is booked in. We assign your DPO logins directly, then set up your MIS and email connectors with you, remotely or in person – no complex IT project on your side. From payment to your first SAR, onboarding takes up to two weeks.

SAR Request

Intake

Portal Submission

Auto Log & Acknowledge

Tracked from Day One

Reference Assigned

Deadline Safe

Learn More

Subject Access Requests are submitted directly through your school's dedicated web portal. The system automatically logs each request, assigns a reference number and sends immediate acknowledgement to the requester. No more lost requests or forgotten deadlines – everything is tracked from day one.

Data Collection

& Identity Verification

Secure ID Check

One‑Click Aggregation

Pull from All Systems

MIS & Email Sync

Data Collection in Minutes

Learn More

Fisar automatically emails the requester a secure link to upload identification documents. Meanwhile, your DPO can trigger the automated data aggregation with a single click. Fisar connects to all your integrated systems simultaneously – pulling student records from your MIS, searching email archives and gathering other connected data sources. CCTV footage and other media are added by secure upload to the same request.

Review &

Secure Delivery

AI-Assisted Redaction

DPO Approval

Encrypted Delivery

Full Audit Trail

Learn More

All collected documents are processed through our AI-powered redaction system to automatically remove personal information that shouldn't be shared. You're then provided with a completed pack that can be reviewed and manually adjusted if needed. Following approval, Fisar sends everything using a secure, encrypted package to the requester via email and marks it complete with a full audit trail.

The Real Cost

What a SAR Actually Costs a School

When a serious SAR lands, schools have three options – and two of them are expensive ways to stay stressed:

Handle it manually

Your SBM or DPO loses 20–30 hours per request – searching the MIS, mailboxes, safeguarding logs and CCTV, then redacting page by page. During term time, that's someone's fortnight gone.

Outsource it per request

Published per-request prices run from £495 for a small request to £1,795 or more for a large one – and you still have to find and send the data yourself. Then ask: who reads your pupils' data once it leaves the school and what tools is it put through?

Get legal help

At the official 2026 guideline rates of £288–£579 an hour, even 20 hours of solicitor time is £5,760–£11,580 for one request. Sensible for genuine litigation; a very expensive way to run a search-and-redact exercise.

Fisar is an annual licence, openly priced by school type – see the plans below. It covers the requests you'd expect in a year, finds the data itself across your connected systems and keeps every pupil record inside a UK-hosted, fully logged environment your DPO controls.

Genuinely contentious requests – live litigation, complex exemptions – may still warrant legal advice. For the rest, the ICO's guidance is written for schools to follow and Fisar does the heavy lifting.

Pricing

Simple, transparent pricing

An annual licence sized to your organisation – from specialist schools through trusts, colleges and beyond. Generous processing built in, and the freedom to top up anytime.

Your plan is set by the kind of organisation you are – choose the one that fits, not the biggest number. The processing allowance is included; if you ever need more, you can top up anytime.

Four school plans – Specialist, Primary, Secondary and All-through – so you pay for the scale you actually are, not the biggest number on the page.

How we estimate SARs

“≈ SARs” figures assume a standard SAR of about 10GB and are rounded down – large or long-history requests can use more.

Annual licence

One simple yearly fee per organisation, billed annually (+VAT). No per-request charges.

Includes processing (GB)

Every plan includes a processing allowance, measured in GB, with comfortable headroom above expected demand.

Top up anytime

Add more whenever you need it. The allowance resets each year – it doesn't roll over.

What a standard request really uses

A SAR uses processing based on the volume of emails, files, messages and attachments gathered for that person across the relevant period. We size everything around a standard request of about 10GB – a figure from our own internal research into real Subject Access Requests – and most land close to it.

It's an average, not a cap. If someone has a long history with your organisation, their request can hold far more data – sometimes well beyond 10GB – and use more of your allowance. That's completely normal. Your dashboard always shows what's left and warns you before you run low, and you can top up anytime, so a request is never blocked unexpectedly.

Top-ups

Flat £10 per GB, added to your current year's allowance – no surprises.

Top-up	Adds	Roughly

All prices are exclusive of VAT.

Ready to Transform Your SAR Process?

Book a Call

FAQ

Everything you need to learn about Fisar

Common questions about our platform, security measures and how we help schools manage Subject Access Requests efficiently and compliantly.

01
What problem does Fisar solve for schools?
Schools typically spend 20-30 hours processing each SAR manually, pulling teachers and administrators away from teaching and operational duties and creating pressure around ICO deadlines. Fisar removes this burden through intelligent automation, so staff can focus on education rather than paperwork.

01
Which school systems does Fisar integrate with?
Fisar connects to Microsoft 365 for email, files and messages, alongside education MIS platforms including Bromcom and Arbor. Google Workspace, Slack and further MIS and safeguarding integrations are on the roadmap and can be prioritised on request.

01
How quickly can a school go live?
Most schools are operational within 1-2 weeks but the process can be completed quicker if necessary. Fisar manages the technical setup and provides clear onboarding so staff can begin using the platform almost immediately.

01
Is Fisar aligned with DfE and GDPR requirements?
Yes. Fisar is designed to meet UK GDPR obligations and to align with DfE digital and safeguarding standards. The platform provides encrypted storage, per-school data isolation and full audit trails.

01
How is third-party pupil information protected in a disclosure?
When a document references a pupil other than the data subject, Fisar's AI identifies that third party and redacts their information before disclosure. Your DPO reviews the redacted files before anything is released, helping you avoid disclosing information about other pupils.

01
How does Fisar identify the correct pupil?
Fisar verifies identity using the records and metadata from your connected school systems, and separates exact matches from partial ones using confidence scoring. Where a pupil is not present in a connected system, your DPO verifies identity manually before the SAR proceeds.

01
Can multi-academy trusts use Fisar across multiple schools?
Yes. Fisar supports MAT structures with secure data separation for each school while allowing central oversight where appropriate, giving trusts trust-wide visibility of SAR volumes and compliance.

01
Can a parent request their child's records?
A SAR belongs to the child. Whether a parent can exercise it depends on the child's age and understanding – older pupils who understand the request (commonly from around 12–13) can generally expect it to be theirs to make or consent to. Schools should consider each case, act in the child's best interests and document the decision. Fisar logs that reasoning as part of the case record.

01
Do we disclose safeguarding information?
Not automatically. Safeguarding records can be withheld where disclosure would be likely to cause serious harm to the child or someone else. Third-party information within them usually needs redaction. This is the judgement call your DSL and DPO make case by case – Fisar surfaces the material, flags third parties and records what was withheld and why.

01
What if the SAR arrives during an exclusion or complaint dispute?
It's still valid – motive doesn't change the obligation and the deadline still applies. In practice these are the SARs where a defensible, documented process matters most, because the response may be scrutinised by a tribunal, a governors' panel or the ICO.

01
Does the deadline pause over school holidays?
No. The calendar month runs through half term and the summer break – a request received in late July is still due in late August. Automated intake, logging and search are what make holiday-period SARs survivable.