Handwriting @ Norwood

At Norwood, we believe that fluent handwriting is an essential foundation for successful writing. Our aim is for every child to develop handwriting that is accurate, legible, increasingly automatic and fluent, so that the physical act of writing does not prevent them from concentrating on their ideas, vocabulary and composition.

Children begin learning handwriting from Reception, alongside developing the physical skills needed to write successfully. We explicitly teach letter formation, posture, pencil control and appropriate paper position, with regular opportunities to practise so that these skills become increasingly automatic.

In Reception and Key Stage 1, children receive daily handwriting teaching or purposeful practice. The emphasis is initially on developing secure printed letter formation. We do not rush children into joined handwriting: pupils begin learning appropriate joins only when their printed letters are formed accurately and consistently.

As children progress through Key Stage 2, teaching increasingly focuses on fluency, consistency, speed, stamina and choosing the most appropriate style of handwriting for the task. By Year 6, pupils should be able to write legibly and fluently at increasing speed and adapt their handwriting according to purpose.

We use Letter-join as our core handwriting resource, alongside the school's own progression and assessment expectations. This ensures a consistent approach from Reception to Year 6 while allowing teaching to respond to pupils' individual starting points and needs.

Our approach is inclusive. Teachers continually check how securely pupils are developing handwriting skills and provide responsive keep-up teaching, adaptations or additional practice where needed. This reflects the EEF's emphasis on strong everyday classroom teaching alongside carefully chosen additional support for pupils who require it.

We also recognise that children's pencil grips develop over time. Staff model an efficient tripod grip, but our priority is that each child develops a comfortable, controlled and functional grasp which enables them to write accurately, fluently and without unnecessary fatigue.

In summary, our progression is:

Foundations and Formation → Secure Print → Joining When Ready → Fluency → Speed and Stamina → Adaptation

This approach supports Norwood's wider commitment to Strong Foundations in Communication, Language and Writing, ensuring that every child develops the transcription skills needed to become a confident and effective writer.