[Insert your school name]

Handwriting Policy
[Date]

Note to schools:
Attach printouts of Alphabet sheets, in Print Plus (if used) and your chosen cursive font, to
show the letter shapes you have chosen for f, k, w, x and z.

Handwriting Policy
At [inset your school name] we are very proud of our pupil’s handwriting and take particular care
in our handwriting style. We use Letter-join’s on-line handwriting resource and Lesson Planners
(delete this if necessary. Note that if you choose not to use the Lesson Planners you will need to
edit text in the Key Stage Teaching section.) as the basis of our handwriting policy as it covers all
the requirements of the National Curriculum.

Objective
Handwriting is a basic skill that influences the quality of work throughout the curriculum. By the
end of Key Stage 2 all pupils should have the ability to produce fluent, legible and, eventually,
speedy joined-up handwriting, and to understand the different forms of handwriting used for
different purposes.
Our intention is to make handwriting an automatic process that does not interfere with creative
and mental thinking.

Aims:
 To develop a neat, legible, speedy handwriting style using
continuous cursive letters, which leads to producing letters
and words automatically in independent writing.
 To establish and maintain high expectations for the
presentation of written work.
 For pupils to understand, by the end of Year 6, the
importance of neat presentation and the need for different
letterforms (cursive, printed or capital letters) to help
communicate meaning clearly.

Expectations
All teaching staff are encouraged to model the printed or cursive style of handwriting chosen for
each year group in our school in all their handwriting, whether on whiteboards, displays or in
pupils’ books.
Consistency throughout the school
Pupils should experience coherence and continuity in the learning and teaching of handwriting
across all school years and be encouraged to take pride in the presentation of their work. Our
objective is to help pupils enjoy learning and developing their handwriting with a sense of
achievement and pride.

Handwriting frequency
Handwriting is a cross-curricular task and will be taken into consideration during all lessons.
Formal teaching of handwriting will be carried out regularly and systematically to ensure Key
Stage targets are met.

Pens and pencils

Children will start handwriting using a soft pencil. When fine motor skills have been established a
handwriting pen can be used. More competent pupils can use a ballpoint pen.

Inclusion

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For children who experience handwriting difficulties due to fine
motor development, including those who are left-handed and
those with special educational needs, the appropriate additional
support will be put into place. Letter-join’s Lesson Planners all
include differentiation activities for extra practice/challenge.

Handwriting at Home
Pupils are encouraged to practise their handwriting at home by
using the Pupil log-in for Letter-join. Teachers can set Home
Learning Tasks which may include:
 Magic Patterns
 Magic Words
 SoundMatch
 PhonicsMatch
 LetterMatch
 LetterLotto
 Letter Families activity
 Word Search
 Word Bank
 Spelling lists
 Write it Right!
Children can also watch the word and letter animations and
practice and explore other handwriting resources on Letter-join.

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Key Stage Teaching
Early Years
For our youngest pupils we teach short handwriting lessons on a
daily basis, which will include the following:
 enhancing gross motor skills such as air-writing, pattern-
making and physical activities
 exercises to develop fine motor skills such as mark-making on
paper, whiteboards, sensory trays, iPads, tablets, etc.
 becoming familiar with letter shapes, their sounds, formation
and vocabulary
 correct sitting position and pencil grip for handwriting

Lesson Planners
*Delete Print or Cursive section accordingly

*Module 1 Print: Early Years teaches handwriting using the

printed method. It starts with fine and gross motor skills warm-
up exercises, correct sitting position and tripod pencil grip.
It is divided into three sections covering:
• pre-writing patterns
• easy letters and words
• harder letters and words
At the end of this module, At the end of this module, children
should be able to recognise and form all the printed, lowercase
letters of the alphabet.

*Module 1 Cursive: Early Years teaches pre-cursive patterns and

cursive, lower case letters. It starts with fine and gross motor
skills warm-up exercises, correct sitting position and tripod pencil
grip.
The first module is divided into three sections covering:
 pre-cursive patterns
 easy letters and words
 harder letters and words
At the end of this module, children should be able to recognise
and form all the cursive, lowercase letters of the alphabet and
write words using the correct joining techniques.

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Key Stage 1: Years 1 and 2
Teaching progresses from five short, to three longer lessons per
week:
 continuing with gross and fine motor skills exercises
 strengthening handwriting, learning and practice
 numerals, capitals and printed letters; where and when
to use, learning and practice
 KS1 SATs SPaG exercises

Module 2 Lesson Planners – Year 1

*Delete Print or Cursive section accordingly

*Module 2 Print to Cursive teaches how to correctly write

capital letters, uses of printed letters, numbers, punctuation,
maths symbols and other symbols. Pre-cursive patterns and
cursive letters are then introduced in preparation for Module 3
when children are required to start joining their handwriting.

It is divided into three sections covering:

• warm-ups, letter families and capital letters
• uses of printed letters
• numbers and symbols
• introducing pre-cursive patterns and cursive letters
On finishing this module, children should be confident in writing
all the capital and printed letters, numbers and symbols and start
to become familiar with the orientation of cursive letters.

*Module 2 Cursive contains lessons for teaching how to write

capital letters, printed letters, numbers and symbols, whilst
reinforcing cursive handwriting using Letter-join’s on-line and
printed resources. It is divided into three sections covering:
 warm-ups, letter families and capital letters
 printed letters
 numbers and symbols
On finishing this module, children should be confident in writing
all the capital and printed letters, numbers and symbols and start
to become familiar with their use.

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Module 3 Lesson Planners – Year 2
*Delete Print or Cursive section accordingly

*Module 3 – Starting Cursive introduces children to cursive

letters and how to join them. They will have regular practice in
letter formation and joining their handwriting.
The sections in this module cover:
 cursive letters and words
 letter families
 high frequency words
 joining techniques
 sequencing sentences
 dictation exercises
 times table facts
• SPaG practice for KS1 SATs
With the regular handwriting practice throughout this module,
children should now be developing the fluency and speed of
their writing.

*Module 3 Cursive: Year 2 includes lessons to improve letter

formation and orientation of letters through regular practice
and to support spelling, grammar and punctuation in readiness
for KS1 SATs. The sections in this module cover:
 letter families
 high frequency words
 joining techniques
 sequencing sentences
 dictation exercises
 times table facts
 SPaG practice for KS1 SATs
With the regular handwriting practice throughout this module,
children should now be developing the fluency and speed of
their writing.

Lower Key Stage 2: Years 3 and 4

Handwriting lessons will continue twice a week in Lower Key
Stage 2.

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Lesson Planner Module 4 for Year 3 is targeted at children in
lower KS2 where pupils should be using a cursive style
throughout their independent writing in all subjects, helping to
refine their handwriting in line with the requirements of each
lesson. This module covers topics such as dictation, double
letters, number vocabulary, palindromes, tongue twisters, MFL
(French and Spanish), onomatopoeia, simile and statutory
spellings.
Completion of Module 4 should ensure improvement in the
legibility, consistency and quality of the children’s handwriting
through a variety of resources which link handwriting to other
areas of the curriculum.
Lesson Planner Module 5 for Year 4 focuses on using
handwriting practice to support other subjects in the curriculum
and, at the same time, builds on fluency and consistency. This
module aims to promote meaningful links with other subjects
such as English, maths, science, geography, French and Spanish.
Making such links enables children to apply the skills they are
learning in context and also provides depth to the curriculum.
Learners will continue to build on producing fluent, consistent
and legible handwriting through the regular practice offered in
this module’s lessons.
On concluding this module, children will have practised applying
size-appropriate handwriting to all areas of the curriculum whilst
maintaining fluency and legibility.

Upper Key Stage 2: Years 5 and 6

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More advanced handwriting techniques will be taught during two
weekly lessons:
 reinforcing cursive handwriting across the curriculum
 form-filling/labelling using printed and capital letters
 dictation exercises promoting quick note-taking and speedy
handwriting writing skills
 KS2 SATs SPaG practice
Lesson Planner Module 6 for Year 5 continues to build on
combining fluent handwriting with other subjects across the
curriculum.
In this module, learners will have plenty of opportunity to develop
the stamina and skills to write at length, with accurate spelling and
punctuation. With Letter-join’s wide range of resources they will be
able to work towards producing consistently neat and well-
presented handwriting in all curriculum subjects.
On completing this module, children should be producing cursive
writing automatically, enabling them to focus on the content of their
work rather than the process of writing.

Lesson Planner Module 7 Year 6 presents learners with a range of

tasks where they have to decide on an appropriate style of
handwriting. Promoting speedy, fluent writing continues to be a
strong feature. Challenging dictation exercises will refine pupils’
revising and checking skills as well as boosting their handwriting
speed, stamina and fluency. A range of curriculum-based
worksheets will give pupils the opportunity to practise writing at
length.
Module 7 also contains a series of worksheets to aid KS2 SATs SPaG
revision. They are designed to support year 6 pupils in meeting
expected standards for spelling, punctuation and grammar, with lots
of SPaG preparation and plenty of handwriting practice.
By the end of this module, children should be able to adapt their
handwriting for a range of tasks and purposes and to create
different effects. They should be clear about what standard of
handwriting is appropriate for a particular task, for example, quick
notes, a final handwritten version, an un-joined style or capital
letters. All of these writing styles are covered in this module.

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Correct posture and pencil grip for handwriting
Pupils should be taught to sit correctly at a table, holding a pencil comfortably and correctly.

SITTING POSITION
Sit with a straight
back, not leaning
over the page
The table reaches
to below elbow
height

Sit right back

in the seat
Keep feet flat
on the floor
Pull the chair
close in to the
table

Paper position for right-

handed children.

LEFT-HANDED CHILDREN
Left-handed children may find it difficult to follow the movements of right-handed
teachers as they model letter formation (and vice versa). Teachers should demonstrate
to left-handers on an individual or group basis.
 Left-handed pupils should sit to the left of a right-handed child so that they are not
competing for space.
 Pupils should position the paper/book to their left side and slanted, as shown.
 Pencils should not be held too close to the point as this can interrupt pupils’ line of
vision.
 Extra practice with left-to-right exercises may be necessary before pupils write
left-to-right automatically.

Paper position for left-handed children.

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The Tripod Pencil Grip
Both right and left handed children should be encouraged to use the tripod grip which allows the
pen/pencil to be held securely whilst allowing controlled movements of the pen/pencil nib. We
use the Tripod Grip Rhyme:

Right-handed pencil grip

Point away the pencil, Pinch it near the tip, Lift if off the table, Spin it round... and grip.

Left-handed pencil grip

Point away the pencil, Pinch it near the tip, Lift if off the table, Spin it round... and grip.

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