St
John Lloyd RC Primary School
HANDWRITING
POLICY
HANDWRITING AND PRESENTATION POLICY
To be the best that we can be
Handwriting
is a tool of communication in the written form. All teachers should aim for the
best that individual pupils can achieve. Handwriting is often linked to
decoration and illustration, leading to a finished product which is pleasing to
look at and which can be attractively displayed. Children can achieve a great
deal of satisfaction from the craftsmanship associated with handwriting. We
endorse the aims of this strand of the 5-14 Guidelines.
Aims
> A whole school approach to the
Learning and Teaching of Handwriting and a consistency in the presentation of
work
> Children are taught to write clearly
and legibly in both joined up and printed styles
> Children
understand and value the need for high quality presentation and handwriting
Principles for Teaching and
Learning:
>
Handwriting is a skill that needs to be taught and learnt
> Children need to understand the
purpose and audience for their handwriting
> Joined up handwriting also aids
spelling
>
A consistent and progressive approach is essential;
>
Expectancies should be modelled;
>
Handwriting and presentation should be high profile
Progression in
Handwriting
The Handwriting
programme at St John Lloyd is based on materials from Jolly Phonics, Nelson,
the agreed alphabet and A Hand for Spelling. There are four main phases to the
development of handwriting. They are:
1.
Role play phase
2. Letter formation
3. Linked script
4.
Fluency, style, confidence and neatness
5.
Early Writing skills will be introduced in the Foundation Phase and extended in
KS1 to develop fine motor skills.
Spacing
and the correct letter formation, with joining tails, will be taught in
Foundation Phase. This will be linked to the introduction of Jolly Phonics.
Parents will be given a copy of our expectancies with regard to letter and
number formations at the October parents night. Much
revision and practice will take place with an emphasis on the size of the
letters and writing on lines.
Children
will then advance on to linked script. We acknowledge current research findings
which, suggest that children who are introduced to joined-up writing quickly
develop confidence and are able to write with speed and enthusiasm. Parents
will be given a support sheet to assist their child with their writing.
As
the children progress they will concentrate on fluency and a legible style of
handwriting. Pupils will also give attention to presentation and layout. Once
the children have learned to form letters and to link them correctly, there is
no need to teach handwriting as such. The focus of the work switches to flow, speed
and presentation.
Key Skills:
> Letters are usually clearly shaped,
correctly formed and orientated
> Capital
letters are recognised, correctly formed and orientated
> Numerals
are correctly formed and orientated
> Upper
and lower case letters are accurately produced in one style and used
consistently
>
Handwriting is joined, fluent, legible and evident in all independent writing
> Children
start to use a pen
>
Handwriting is adapted to a range of tasks
>
Handwriting and presentation should be actively promoted as a key skill.
Teaching Points
> Teach the correct
grip. See Jolly Phonics Handbook for 'frog legs grip'.
> Ensure correct formation at all times,
close monitoring of individuals is important while engaged in this formal writing
process.
> Ensure
correct posture with children sitting comfortably and upright, with feet flat
on the floor.
>Ensure
there is good lighting
> Ensure each child has a suitable
implement before they begin, pencils are adequately sharpened and pens are
Handwriting pens in blue.
> Capital letters do not join to lower
case letters
> The letters g, j, and y are formed as
single letters at the beginnings of words
> The
letters g, j and y are joined to the proceeding letter, when they appear within
a word, but they end as a single letter
> Link
handwriting practice to spelling patterns (Hand for Spelling/Nelson)
> The
teacher will act as a model using the chalk and talk approach using the squared
whiteboard
> The
teacher will model expectancies in the child’s notebook
Suggestions for teaching
left-handed children:
Seating Consideration should always be
given to the amount of space a left handed child needs to write, without
interfering with others. This may mean sitting the child on the left side of a
table.
Grip The child should grip the pencil at least
an inch from the point so that he / she is able to see
what they are writing. The grip should not be too tight. A pencil grip aid may
be used to help position the fingers correctly. The pencil should be held with
the handle pointing back up the arm towards the shoulder.
Position the paper Position the paper to the left
of the body, at an angle, with the right hand top corner of the paper nearer
the body than the left. This develops a freer movement and makes possible the
development of vertical writing or even a forward slant.
Writing Implements It is easiest to use a
triangular pencil at first as the push and pull movements are equal. Children
should be encouraged to use a triangular handwriting pen and a circular pen
later on.
Support for Learning
Children
who are experiencing difficulty with their handwriting will be brought to the
attention of the Head teacher and the Support for Learning Teacher SENCO. A
programme will be agreed to support the childs
progress. Continued concern following the implementation of this programme may
result in referral to the Occupational Therapist for assessment and advice.
Resources
Teachers may refer to
the Jolly Phonics handbook, Nelson and A Hand for Spelling. Children will
mainly practice in their jotters from the chalk and talk approach, however,
worksheets or booklets may be made up to support teaching and learning.
Review
This policy will be
reviewed in May 2008 and the Head teacher will monitor class room practice
regularly for evidence of implementation. With all staff in agreement of this
policy it should be possible to support pupils with their handwriting skills
and, taking account of individual styles, set high standards of presentation. CPD
will be provided for staff to ensure policy and procedure is followed in a
progressive way with shared
expectancies