NCFE2 sample whole school writing policy

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Nowhere Primary School's Handwriting Policy

• Handwriting is a movement skill which is taught directly by demonstration, explanation and practice.
• Reception children who are not yet ready to write are provided with a range of pre-writing activities
• All parents and pre-school are sent a letter explaining the school policy on handwriting and giving suggestions as to how they can help. (It is hoped this will prevent children being encouraged to write too soon and acquiring incorrect movement habits ).
• We use handwriting patterns. These are taught in handwriting lessons and are also sent home. They can be a pleasurable and creative way of practising handwriting movements.
• A logical sequence of learning skills is followed to achieve legible joined handwriting. This begins with early pencil skills,straight lines, clockwise and anti-clockwise circles etc. and follow the steps young children typically go through .
• The correct formation of the letters is given highest priority
• The school uses the cursive style and from the first letters start and end with a flick to enable joining.
• Joining is taught from Year 2
• A series of assessment procedures is used for younger children to plot their progress towards legible, joined handwriting.
• We keep records of progress for older children. These are an annual example of each pupil's handwriting on a task undertaken in class, one copying and one free writing task.
• In Years 5 and 6 we undertake activities to increase writing speed.
• The school provides additional resources and equipment for children who need it such as sloping surfaces, special seat cushions, pencil grips, wooden and/or sandpaper letters for tracing over etc.