Here at Chiseldon we are very proud of our pupil’s handwriting and take particular care in our cursive/joined-up handwriting style. We use Letter-join as the basis of our handwriting policy that covers all the requirements of the 2014 National Curriculum.

Nursery 

• Sit in the correct position and hold a pencil correctly to allow fluid movement of the nib.

• Improve fine and gross motor skills by enjoying drawing pre-cursive patterns in a variety of writing materials such as modelling clay, air writing, sand trays, felt pens, crayons, pencils, IWB, iPads/tablets.
• Understand the language need to describe pencil movements in preparation of letter formation

Reception

• Hold a pencil in an effective manner for writing and be encouraged to correct any errors in grip or stature.
• Understand that letters are written on a base line and that all cursive letters ‘start on the line’ and ‘end with a hook’.
• Begin to form some recognisable joined-up cursive letters, capital letters and numerals.
• Have an understanding of writing their own name.
• Understanding different shaped letter families.

KS1

• Write legibly using upper and lower case letters with correct joins.
• Ensure that letters sit on the base line and are consistent in size with ascenders and descenders that are the correct length and formation.
• Leave the correct space between words.
• Form capital letters and use where appropriate.
• Form numerals that are consistent in size and sit on the base line.
• Begin to form printed letters and understand when they are to be used.
• Improve the speed of writing and begin to write automatically so promoting creativity in independent writing.

KS2

Improve quality, speed and stamina of handwriting.

• Quality: Ensure letters are consistently sized with equal word spacing and that ascenders and descenders are parallel and do not touch words on the lines above and below.
• Speed: Improve speed of handwriting to allow creative writing to take precedence over the task of handwriting and be able to take ‘quick notes’ at a faster pace.
• Stamina: Have the strength and mobility to be able to write for longer periods of time without fatigue.