Handwriting

Handwriting

In EYFS1 (Nursery) children are taught the fundamental early writing skills including development of fine motor skills, letter formation, pencil grip and pencil control. This is developed further in EYFS and KS1 where children are introduced to letter formation of the full alphabet as part of the Twinkl phonics and handwriting program. Brown, green and blue line guides are used when teaching handwriting which introduces children to letters that sit on the line (green line), ascenders that reach the sky (blue line) and descenders that go underground (brown line). They are also taught how to form lower case and capital letters, including letter orientation and positions on a line.

Teachers model the schools handwriting style when marking, writing on the board and on displays around the classroom. As children progress through school, there is an increasing focus on fluency, consistency and speed. Pen licenses are issued when the class teacher has seen consistently good handwriting in line with year group expectations.

Handwriting objectives

In EYFS – ELG Goals:

Physical Development: Hold a pencil effectively in preparation for fluent writing – using the tripod grip in almost all cases.

Writing: Write recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed.

In Year 1 pupils should be taught to:

• form lower-case letters of the correct size relative to one another
• start using some of the diagonal and horizontal strokes needed to join letters and understand which letters, when adjacent to one another, are best left unjoined
• write capital letters and digits of the correct size, orientation and relationship to one another and to lower-case letters
• use spacing between words that reflects the size of the letters

IIn Year 2 pupils should be taught to:

• form lower-case letters of the correct size relative to one another
• start using some of the diagonal and horizontal strokes needed to join letters and understand which letters, when adjacent to one another, are best left unjoined
• write capital letters and digits of the correct size, orientation and relationship to one another and to lower-case letters
• use spacing between words that reflects the size of the letters

IIn Year 3 and 4 pupils should be taught to:

• use the diagonal and horizontal strokes that are needed to join letters and understand which letters, when adjacent to one another, are best left unjoined
• increase the legibility, consistency and quality of their handwriting

IIn Year 5 and 6 pupils should be taught to:

• write legibly, fluently and with increasing speed by:
  • choosing which shape of a letter to use when given choices and deciding whether or not to join specific letters
  • choosing the writing implement that is best suited for a task