Implementation 

As a school, we use the Letter-join handwriting scheme. Letter-join is a whole school handwriting programme offering a combination of traditional and digital resources. These include classroom presentations, handwriting activities, online games and worksheets using a cursive font without a lead-in line.

All teaching staff model the printed or cursive style of handwriting in all their handwriting, whether on whiteboards, displays or in pupils’ books.

Pupils experience coherence and continuity in the learning and teaching of handwriting across all school years and are 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 is a cross-curricular task and will be taken into consideration during all lessons. However, formal teaching of handwriting is carried out in stand alone sessions across the week. 

Early Years
For our youngest pupils we teach short handwriting sessions, which include:

• 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

Key Stage 1
Teaching progresses to using cursive letters with joins. We do not use a leading line for our letters. In our sessions we include: 

• 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

Key Stage 2: 

More advanced handwriting techniques will be taught including:

• 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

Access to letterjoin is available for practise at home. Please see your class teacher for details.