Handwriting at Campion
A big difference when students begin secondary school is that instead of one teacher getting used to their writing, multiple teachers need to be able to read their work. Handwriting legibility is therefore crucial.
Each student completes an initial handwriting sample sheet where we check the grip, time taken for the writing and how the hand feels at the end. Their work is analysed by our trained intervention team and we decide who will benefit from extra handwriting support.
There are six different features we look at:
- Size of letters
- Shape of letters
- Slope of letters
- Space between words
- Writing on the line
- Joining letters
Many children with difficulties hold their pen or pencil in unconventional ways. However, so do many competent writers and there is no evidence to date to link poor pen or pencil grasp with poor handwriting. The dynamic tripod grasp (with the pen pinched between the ball of the thumb and the fore-finger, supported by the middle finger with the other fingers tucked into the hand) is recommended once the child is old enough to hold a writing implement. This minimises the risk of strain and offers the greatest control. However, for those with handwriting difficulties, changing the
grasp will not, of itself, solve the problems. It may be that the poor grasp and the poor handwriting are both visible symptoms of the same underlying factors.
Where a student has shown difficulties in multiple areas, we follow up the initial sample with a meeting. We discuss the writing with the students and score the work against the criteria listed above. This enables us to identify areas for improvement and set clear priorities. Intervention sessions might include handwriting warm up exercises, worksheets or focus on practising good grip and are planned to suit the needs of the individual.
Where a child is struggling to form their letters, the following YouTube page “Pencil Pete” may be of use.
Youtube page Pencil Pete
There is a lot of advice and free handwriting downloads on the internet to help should this be of interest.
https://theinspiredtreehouse.com/handwriting-development-sizing-spacing-alignment-and-more/
https://nha-handwriting.org.uk/
