Originally,Primarily Diagnostic started with a specific focus on assessment.
We believe that the purpose of assessment is primarily diagnostic and measures where students are in their learning at a point in time. Assessments merely inform teachers about gaps in learning and focus their minds on what needs to be taught, and to whom. The section on Assessment provides details about our approach to this subject.
However, Primarily Diagnostic gradually evolved into something more.
Over the last 15 years, we have watched external measures of “fear” permeating school culture.
In education, we keep saying that we don’t run schools to get through Ofsted, but most CPD seems to focus on this. This creates huge stress and incredibly poor decision making.
The pressure placed on school leaders is cascaded down to school staff and students, resulting in low morale and a lack of “ownership”.
School leaders, staff and students feel that grades and measures are being used to define them, instead of being used to inform, develop and improve.
This is obviously damaging for the mental health & well-being of all.
Our schools need to be better than this.
Our lives are essentially primarily diagnostic.
There is no end point when we have achieved everything, or everything is perfect. As individuals, we are continually reflecting and identifying areas for improvement – What is working well? What could be working better? What can I do to change things? What factors can I control?
Therefore, quite simply, we believe that the philosophy of schools should be primarily diagnostic.
It is the job of school leaders, staff and students to identify what is working well and reflect on what can be improved on a continual basis. There is no end point.
To do this successfully, all individuals in a school should recognise that this is an explicit approach that is inculcated in the day-to-day working environment and our approach to learning.
School leaders must recognise that the Culture and Climate of an organisation is the key to success.
Primarily Diagnostic offers bespoke CPD on how to embed this approach in the Culture and Climate of a school.