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Writing a school handwriting policy
Handwriting in the National Curriculum for Key Stage 2
The National Curriculum for English programmes of study for writing at Key Stage 2 include:
• transcription (spelling and handwriting) • composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech and writing)
It is essential that teaching develops children’s competence in these two dimensions and the Programmes of Study note that writing ‘depends on fluent, legible and, eventually, speedy handwriting’.
Children 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, [for example, by ensuring that the downstrokes of letters are parallel and equidistant, and that lines of writing are spaced sufficiently so that the ascenders and descenders of letters do not touch] • proofread for spelling and punctuation errors.
Non-statutory notes and guidance in the National Curriculum
The English programmes of study states that children ‘should be using joined handwriting throughout their independent writing. Handwriting should continue to be taught, with the aim of increasing the fluency with which children are able to write down what they want to say. This, in turn, will support their composition and spelling.’
Teaching priorities for Happy Handwriting in Year 3
Happy Handwriting (Year 3) builds on letter movements and joins learned in Key Stage 1 and sets ambitious goals for children in Key Stage 2. If children can learn automatic handwriting, it will help them to write across the curriculum. The Year 3 priorities are:
• producing correct joins • joining where appropriate (and knowing where not to) • consolidating difficult joins (revising regularly) • using appropriate spacing between letters and punctuation marks • increasing speed • writing in four lines to guide proportions • placing and spacing punctuation correctly • beginning to self-evaluate the formation, orientation, legibility, and speed of their writing, according to task • using first and second letter alphabetical order.
In Year 3 all children should be able to:
• produce letter movements automatically • write ascenders and descenders consistently • produce common letter combinations automatically.
The Year 3 Teacher’s Guide contains advice and activities to diagnose who may need more letter formation work to increase speed and automaticity. Additional activities for letter formation practice are available in the printable resources, and timed letter generation games to practise automaticity are in the Teacher’s Guide (pages 74–76).
