Handwriting

 

At Our Lady of the Rosary, we believe that fluent, legible handwriting enables children to communicate their ideas clearly and supports success across the curriculum. We teach handwriting carefully and consistently from the early years through to Year 6, ensuring children develop the skills, strength, and confidence needed to write with ease.

Handwriting sits within our wider teaching of transcription and composition and supports pupils to record their ideas efficiently.

 

Nursery – Write Dance

In Nursery, children follow the Write Dance programme, which develops early mark-making skills through movement, rhythm, and creative play.

This supports children to:

• Build core strength
• Develop fine and gross motor control
• Make confident, purposeful marks
• Enjoy early writing experiences

Children are given frequent opportunities for mark-making indoors and outdoors, laying strong foundations for later handwriting.

 

Reception – Little Wandle

In Reception, handwriting is taught through the Little Wandle phonics programme, with each new grapheme introduced alongside accurate letter formation.

Children learn to:

• Hold a pencil comfortably
• Form letters correctly
• Write letters on the line
• Begin to build stamina and fluency

Handwriting is integrated into daily phonics and wider learning, giving children meaningful opportunities to apply their skills.

 

Key Stage 1 & Key Stage 2 – Letter-Join

From Year 1 onwards, we teach handwriting through the Letter-Join scheme, enabling children to progress towards fluent, joined writing.

Children learn to:

• Secure letter formation (Year 1)
• Use entry and exit strokes
• Join letters for fluency
• Maintain consistent size and spacing
• Take pride in presentation

Through regular practice, children develop confidence and fluency so handwriting becomes automatic and does not limit composition.

 

Pencil Grip & Seating Position

Children are explicitly taught how to hold a pencil and position themselves comfortably for writing. They learn to:

• Sit upright with feet flat on the floor
• Hold a pencil using a comfortable tripod grip
• Keep the paper at an angle that suits handedness
• Relax shoulders, elbows, and wrists

These habits support stamina and help prevent discomfort.

Teaching Style

Handwriting is taught through:

• Short, regular, focused lessons
• Clear modelling of letter formation and joins
• Rehearsal of patterns and letter groups
• Frequent opportunities to apply skills in writing

Teachers model formation slowly and deliberately, emphasising starting points, direction, size, and joins. Pupils are supported to self-check and make improvements over time.

 

Regular Handwriting Homework

Children receive regular handwriting homework to reinforce skills taught in school. This may include:

• Practising specific letter groups
• Joining patterns
• Copying words or sentences
• Working on grip or posture

Regular practice at home helps children build fluency and confidence.

 

Supporting All Learners

We recognise that some children may require additional support with handwriting. This may include:

• Fine-motor activities
• Specialist pencils or grips
• Additional scaffolded practice
• Adaptations where appropriate

Our aim is for all children to develop handwriting that is comfortable, legible, and effective.