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Do schools have the right to force kids to adopt a particular style of handwriting? Also if teachers reject work because of the handwriting then what can parents do about the issue?

 

I could write complete sentences with a semi-cursive style when I was at nursery school, yet most other kids couldn't even write their name in any legible form. At infant school I was forced to write ball and stick which ruined my handwriting even to today. At junior school in a different part of the country, the policy was to write in a particular cursive style I had difficulty mastering even though it wasn't much different to the style I had before writing ball and stick. It took until Y5 before my handwriting was up the standard I had at nursery school. I think that forcing kids to learn ball and stick at school should be banned as one will have extreme difficulty learning a cursive style.

 

Can schools insist that only certain writing implements are used? I was made to write with a cedarwood pencil, but found I could write better with a click pencil although both my infant and junior school would not let me use one in class.

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different schools have different policies and apply them with varying degrees of flexibility but many people have had this problem over the years.

In my father's case he was made to write right handed and hit with a ruler across his knuckles if he used his left hand - he still uses his right hand and I remember as a child him teaching himself italic because his poor handwriting caused him so much distress.

 

I have problems with handwriting, partly from attending so many different schools (11) that I never developed a consistent style but also because of dyslexia I think. I do have beautiful cursive blackboard script after working in a school where we had a lot of kids with dyslexia though - it was one of the few things set in stone at the school which was a free school where almost everything was negotiated!

 

When Dot was first having problems (severely dyslexic) the first thing school tried was a standard handwriting programme for joined up writing to improve her flow. She couldn't do it so I taught her full cursive which the school was fine about. (for dyslexic children either cursive or italic handwriting are recommended as the way the pen is kept on the page encourages the development of flow and kinetic memory which also supports spelling).

 

Dot moved school not long after the cursive was established and I spoke to the SENCO who was fine about it and also about her using a specially shaped cartridge pen as her grip is very poor even though they don't use pen at all until Y6.

A few weeks later she was diagnosed with the dyslexia, had a test for irlen syndrome and an OT assessment she'd been waiting for - main recommendations included continuing with the cursive script.

 

At the new school Dot was a bit worried about standing out because of her handwriting but then a term after she started the school brought in a new handwriting policy and now all children are taught fully joined semi-cursive script from reception because they are trying to get recognition as a 'dyslexia friendly school' so now everyone has loops and she's happy with it again.

 

It's worked out well for Dot and most of the kids really like to be allowed to do curly tails but I do wonder if kids that have to transfer to other schools will have to change back.

 

When I was teaching handwriting I would insist that children used the school script until their handwriting became fluid, after that I allowed them to experiment as long as it stayed neat. I never forced children that had an established style to change, at one school where we had children coming in for short periods from all over the world I think there were almost as many styles as there were children, it would have been a complete waste of time to try to homogenise them.

As for writing implements I have deliberately tried various pens and pencils for children whose grip or pressure is poor - it is very important to have the right tool for the job - but often there are only those abysmal handwriting pens (berol roller balls) or straight school pencils available in the classroom and the trouble caused by allowing kids to choose themselves or bring in their own outweighs the benefits unless there's a good reason - ie SEN issues.

The reason for such a limited and poor range of tools is simply cost - you would not believe the stumps some schools expect children to write with by the end of the year because they don't want to buy more, actually finding enough pencils and pens to go round can be a great challenge!

These cost pennies and there still aren't enough, I can't imagine them investing the �5 plus cartridges it costs for Dots pen for every child.

 

At primary school children are not generally penalised in their writing for poor script, although pressure may be put on weaker writers to improve, especially in KS2, it does not usually effect the way the content is judged.

 

Unfortunately, in most high schools the teachers are less tolerant and, to be honest, lazier about putting time into decoding a child's work - if the handwriting is poor the mark will be low simply because it is difficult to read.

 

Zemanski

Edited by Zemanski

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The school should have a handwriting policy - ask to see it.

 

The Twins junior school had a policy where you have to write in pencil til you reach their required standard - then you get awarded a fibre tip pen to write with. Most kids got this in Year 4. M got it at the end of Yr 6 and R never got one!

 

R is left handed and they never took account of this in telling how to angle his paper, etc.

 

Children get an extra few marks in their SAT's if they write neatly and joined up - it can make the difference between one level and the next.

 

Now they have gone to secondary school - which could not care less what they write with or how they write, as long as it is legible.

 

M had a long-term supply teacher from New Zealand for two terms in the Junior school - he let them write in coloured gel pens - he said he didn't care what they wrote in as long as they did the work!

 

Karen

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sorry - I forgot SATs, that's the main reason they push handwriting a bit more in KS2.

 

one thing I find interesting about handwriting in primary school is the way pens are used to signify achievement when the use of a pen as opposed to a pencil, especially a good pen, improves the flow and promotes good handwriting - they should be starting with pens not earning them!

 

how humiliating not to manage to earn your pen at all :( , I think if I had Y6 in a school with that policy I would argue for them all to have pens automatically as one of those little perks designed to keep Y6 motivated, no kid should be left out like that.

 

I once had a class with 10 left-handers not including myself (must be a record) - this class took their own set of scissors, pens etc through school with them and it just wasn't possible to miss their needs but I was a lone lefthander and it can be pretty tough.

 

Zemanski

 

PS. supply teachers can get away with not following policy - if they are caught at it they just plead ignorance - most of us don't have a lot of choice

Edited by Zemanski

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My junior school was hell bent on handwriting and seemed to think it was the most important thing in the world. Pens were issued from the start of Y4 as a status symbol for neat handwriting with a pencil and became compulsory at the start of Y6. I was the only one to finish Y5 still writing with a pencil. The pens were those Berol fibre tipped things and when I was finally issued with one in Y6 I went back to writing with a pencil because the pens were so awful to write with. Thankfully the school soon changed its policy to allow Y6 to use a fountain pen.

 

I am sure that Britain is one of the few countries in the world that issues pens and pencils free of charge in junior schools. In many countries you have to bring your own writing implements.

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I have a bit of a bee in my bonnet about handwriting! My mother who was left handed had her left hand tied behind her back until she would use her right hand. The effects of this still show today. When I was at secondary school we used to have those chairs with the desks attached that lifted up. All of the arm rests were on the right hand side, my teachers told me it was my fault for being odd, although there were several of us. At my childrens primary school they are expected to supply their own pens and pencils, so if a parent feels like splashing out on an expensive pen, they can. My oldest son who has apalling handwriting now does most of his work on a computer and has learnt to do a very nifty form of note taking for class. The teachers obviously prefer this as they dont have to wade through illegible handwriting. My daughter who has beautiful handwriting and is at uni is not allowed to hand in any handwritten work, I just wonder whether handwriting plays much part in education as you get older

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still have to write in most exams unless you have special needs which allow you to use a laptop, even at postgraduate level

 

bought a new pen today - a gel pen with an adjustable tip that is angled so that you can see your writing and you hold it high up so you don't smudge or drag your hand.

 

It's the first pen I've found that's suitable for lefthanders and righthanders

 

feels a bit odd as I have to hold it properly but I'm sure I'll get used to it.

 

the web site is

 

www.yoropen.co.uk

 

bought it in WHsmith

 

Zemanski

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We liked the Stabilo "s'move" pen - you can get them for LH or RH. They are shaped to curve back over your hand, so it is impossible to press too hard with it. My son usually engraves through at least four pages when he writes!

 

Karen

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i bought G a yoropen last term for school. he enjoys using it and it has helped his grip but not his handwriting.

when he was observed by camhs it was noted that he uses it along with a pressure pad to go under paper.

they thought it had been provided by the lea :lol:

i told them not to be so silly......the only way he gets anything is if i provide it :P

 

my daughter also uses one as she is left-handed and she loves it

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I just figured out how to adjust the yoropen for a lefthander - have fallen in love again :D

 

got the website address wrong - very cheesy website :P

 

http://www.yoropen.com

 

I'm going to try it on Dot tomoorow - she has serious grip problems that even the stabilo pen hasn't solved

 

Zemanski

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