Professor Julia Black explains how findings from the SHAPE Observatory can help support schools to champion the social sciences, humanities and arts in their contexts.
When discussing the state of SHAPE subjects in the UK, it’s important for any practitioner to stay clued up on the data that is available. This helps us to advocate for SHAPE based on the evidence and understand how our own context compares to the wider landscape within and across subject areas. It allows us to see patterns nationwide and analyse trends through time. Good data analysis is also aware of its own limitations and biases since no single data source offers a complete and nuanced picture.
That’s why The British Academy is paving the way for free access to the latest data and statistics on SHAPE subjects. The SHAPE Observatory monitors the humanities and social sciences using a range of sources and presents them in a manageable and clear way through data visualisations, briefings and more in-depth reports. These resources shine a light on the state of SHAPE in the UK, the benefits of these disciplines as a learning pathway, and the wider contribution they make to society.
How does the SHAPE Observatory impact schools?
Schools could gain several insights from the Observatory’s resources. They can help teachers better understand the wider context for uptake in their subject area. They can also help careers advisers provide students with clear information about skills gained from studying SHAPE subjects, career options and data on future earnings which students can use to inform their subject choices at both Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5:
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Our SHAPE indicators provide data on the uptake of SHAPE subjects at GCSE and A Level in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, as well as for National 5s, Highers and Advanced Highers in Scotland, with entries data currently stretching back over a decade. Over the next few months, we are planning to significantly update our SHAPE indicators webpage, with plans for new and more interactive visualisations.
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We have commissioned a large piece of research which is using the National Pupil Database (England) to study subject choice for A levels (and equivalent qualifications) over the past 20 years. This report, due to be published later this year, will: assess whether subject choice has narrowed over this period, explore how different combinations of subjects are taken in England, and look into what factors have influenced subject take-up.
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Our skills work is vital in articulating some of the reasons why students benefit from studying SHAPE. The “Right Skills” (2017) report identified the key skills that SHAPE graduates develop during their studies, while the case studies we present in “SHAPE Skills at Work” (2022) demonstrate how individuals have utilised these skills in roles across a wide range of sectors in the economy. This would be an invaluable resource for careers advisers in schools and help meet the Gatsby Benchmarks, the standard for good careers guidance in England, which requires careers advisers to link curriculum learning to careers.
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The Observatory also offers insights into SHAPE graduate outcomes through our “Qualified for the Future” (2020) report. This provides evidence on the relative employability of SHAPE graduates compared to STEM, as well as problematising common assumptions about salary level and long-term wage growth in different subjects. We are currently undergoing a project to update this work, which will delve further into how we measure graduate outcomes and explore how the COVID-19 pandemic and cost of living crisis has impacted the prospects of all graduates. This could help students when making subject choices to ensure they are being evidence-led in their decisions.
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Finally, our “state of the discipline” reports provide perspectives into specific SHAPE subjects within higher education. These will appeal to teachers and students alike since the reports really dig down into what a subject can offer a prospective student as an area of study, providing information from student numbers to graduate outcomes. Careers advisers will find these useful to suggest as reading to students deciding on which subject to apply for, as well as to consult themselves to enhance their own knowledge of subject-level trends in higher education.
Julia Black is President of the British Academy, the UK’s national academy for humanities and social sciences, and Professor of Law at the London School of Economics. In 2020, she coined the term SHAPE, alongside others, to champion the social sciences, humanities and arts across the UK and overseas.
Discover more about SHAPE using data and insights from the SHAPE Observatory and access free micro-modules for independent CPD on our website.