Overview

This article explains how to set your KS4 or KS5 Exams embargo to lift at a time later than the default one.

During the summer results period, Sisra Analytics places selected cohorts’ exam reports under Embargo. This temporarily locks the Exams report upon publishing from 12.01 am on the official embargo dates until 8.00 am on the following day. Only staff with View Embargo Reports enabled in their Sisra Analytics user group have access during this period.

To lift the exams embargo at a later time, you lock the exams report to ensure only chosen User Groups have access. When the embargo is lifted at 8:00 am on Results Day, the report will remain locked. It will only be accessible to administrators and User Groups with access to Locked Reports. When the new embargo is in place, you can specify a time to unlock the report to make it available.

Prerequisites

You must be an administrator.

Instructions

Follow these steps to lift the embargo at a later time:

• You can ignore this step if you don't have any (custom) user groups with access to the Embargoed Reports aside from the default Admin group.

  1. Select USERS > Groups:
     
  2. For each custom User Group that you want to provide embargoed report access to:
     1. Select the Group:
        
     2. If View Embargo Reports and View Locked Reports are checked in the Access column, select Cancel.
     3. If View Embargo Reports and/or View Locked Reports are not checked in the Access column:
        1. Select Edit Group Actions:
           
        2. Select the check box for Access for View Locked Reports.
        3. Select the check box for Access for View Embargo Reports.
        4. Select Save.
  3. Repeat Step 2 for each group. 
  4. For each Custom User Groups set up without Embargo Access,go through the same process as Step 2 above, ensuring that access to View Locked Reports and View Embargo Reports is unchecked, as shown in this example:
     

  For more information about creating Embargo User Groups, see Sisra Analytics: Exams Report Embargo (2025).

• Select a tab for the Key Stage whose embargo you want to lift:

  • To lock your KS4 Exams report:

    1. Select REPORTS > KS3/4 > select your Cohort.
    2. Select the Exams dataset.
    3. Select the blue pencil icon in Admin Actions:
       
    4. Set Report Status to Locked:
       
    5. Select Save.

    To lift your embargo by unlocking the report, follow the steps above, changing the Report Status back to Checked or Unchecked.

  • To lock your KS5 Exams report:

    1. Select REPORTS > KS5 > select your Cohort.
    2. Select the Exams dataset.
    3. Select Edit Details:
       
    4. Set Report Status to Locked:
       
    5. Select Save.

    To lift your embargo by unlocking the report, follow the steps above, changing the Report Status back to Checked or Unchecked.

Outcome

Your extended embargo date is set. Only those with access to embargoed reports will be able to view them during the embargo period. 

If you haven't yet published your Exams report and you want it to be Locked, go to DATA > select keystage and cohort > GRADES > Publish Grades and select Publish next to your Exams report. During publishing, you select Locked in the Report Status dropdown, and publish as normal.

Updated 19 August 2025 12:08