Handwriting

Handwriting Progression and Expectations

At St. Andrew’s, we follow the Nelson Handwriting programme from Reception to Year 6. This structured scheme supports children in developing a clear, legible and fluent handwriting style that builds confidence and supports writing stamina.

We place a strong emphasis on consistent modelling, regular practice, and pride in presentation across all year groups.

This guidance has been written in line with the statutory requirements for Writing/Handwriting across EYFS, Key Stage 1 and 2.

Focus and Expectations by Year Group

Year 1

·       Sit correctly at a table, holding a pencil comfortably and correctly.

·       Begin to form lower case letters in the correct direction, starting and finishing in the right place.

·       Form capital letters correctly.

·       Form digits 0 to 9 correctly.

·       Understand which letters belong to which handwriting ‘families’ (i.e. letters that are formed in similar ways) and to practise these.

Year 2

·       Sit correctly at a table, holding a pencil comfortably and correctly.

·       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.

Year 3

·       Sit correctly at a table, holding a pencil comfortably and correctly.

·       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 down strokes of letters are parallel and equidistant; that lines of writing are spaced sufficiently so that the ascenders and descenders of letters do not touch].

Year 4

·       Sit correctly at a table, holding a pencil comfortably and correctly.

·       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 down strokes of letters are parallel and equidistant; that lines of writing are spaced sufficiently so that the ascenders and descenders of letters do not touch].

Year 5

·       Write legibly, fluently and with increasing speed by:

- choosing which shape of a letter to use when given choices

- deciding whether or not to join specific letters

- choosing the writing implement that is best suited for a task

Year 6

·       Write legibly, fluently and with increasing speed by:

- choosing which shape of a letter to use when given choices

- deciding whether or not to join specific letters

- choosing the writing implement that is best suited for a task

Left handed pupils

Left-handed pupils should receive specific teaching to meet their needs.

Consider the seating position and that they are comfortable and not repeatedly bumping into another pupil as they write,

Letter Families

Letters are grouped into sets, based on handwriting families. These are letters that are formed in similar ways.

Set 1

c a o d g f s q e

Set 2

i l t j u y

Set 3

b h k m n p r

Set 3

v w x z

Join 1

Diagonal join to letters without ascenders

Join 2

Diagonal join to letters with ascenders

Join 3

Horizontal join

Join 4

Horizontal join to letters with ascenders

Break Letters

b g j p q s x y z

are not joined from

Posture and Pencil Grip

Good handwriting begins with good habits. Across all year groups, we teach:

Pencil Grip

A Tripod grip is the most effective way to hold a pencil.

For right handers:

• Hold lightly between the thumb and forefinger about 3cm away from the point.

• The paper should be placed to the right tilted slightly to the left.

• Use the left hand to steady the paper.

For left handers:

• Hold lightly between thumb and forefinger resting on the first knuckle of the middle finger.

• Hold about 3cm from the tip.

• The hand should be kept below the writing line although some pupils will find a ‘hook’ more comfortable.

• The paper should be tilted slightly to the right at about 20 - 30°.

• Use the right hand to steady the paper.

Posture and Paper Position

•      Chair and table should be at a comfortable height.

•      Sit upright with both feet on the floor. (“Bottom to the back of your chair, tummy to the table.”)

•      Paper tilted slightly for a natural writing angle

•      Non-writing hand used to steady the page

•      Encourage children to sit up straight and not slouch

•      The height of the chair should be such that the thighs are horizontal and feet flat on the floor.

•      Tables should be free of clutter.

•      Rooms should be well lit.

•      Left handed pupils should sit on the left of their partners.

Time allocated for Handwriting:

Children in EYFS and Key Stage One have 2x 15 minute handwriting sessions a week.

Children in KS2 have 1x 30 minute handwriting session a week.

Handwriting expectations are reinforced daily in every lesson.

Children who find handwriting difficult will be targeted for further intervention.

Our Expectations

Pupils:

•      Children should always take pride in the presentation of their written work.

•      Look after exercise books and not draw or scribble in or on them.

•      The date and title of all work must appear at the top of the page and must be neatly underlined.

•      From Y1 onwards, pupils must use rulers to draw straight lines.

•      If drawing a graph or a table, this must be in pencil.

•      Expectations around handwriting are consistent across the curriculum, not just in English.

•      Children in KS2 are expected to use joined writing in all subjects unless otherwise advised (e.g. SEND adaptation).

Staff:

•      Set a positive example to children by modelling good handwriting when writing on the board, IWB, when marking children’s books and on displays.

•      Teachers strive to model the cursive style and use appropriate joins, demonstrating the fluency and legibility of the style appropriate to year group endpoints.

SEND

It is appreciated that some children, for a variety of reasons, have problems with legible, correctly formed and orientated handwriting. Children needing additional support are given short bursts of handwriting practice, with a Teaching Assistant, or Class Teacher, as often as possible. Sometimes handwriting targets may form part of an Individual Support Plan. Children with Special Educational needs, where necessary, will be provided with adaptations such as pencil grips, enlarged practise paper or a laptop.

Handwriting Patter

In EYFS and KS1, handwriting patter is used to reinforce the starting point and shape of each letter.

Incentives

Rewards, incentives and praise will be used to encourage good practice. These include track-its, stickers, displayed work and hand-writing competitions. Pen licences will be awarded from Y3 onwards, once a child has demonstrated a neat and consistent cursive style across the curriculum.

Assessment, Monitoring and Moderation

Children in the EYFS are assessed on an ongoing basis through observation; handwriting informs part of this. Handwriting endpoints are used to assess handwriting progress. Within Key Stage One and Key Stage Two, handwriting is also assessed as part of children’s writing assessments using the assessment criteria for given year groups.

Nelson Handwriting Overview and Progression