Teachers involved

As teachers we all know that less time spent concentrating on the writing act is more time spent on the writing content - simply put, it means children find it easier to express their thoughts and ideas legibly, fluently and quickly.

Yet research shows that many go on to secondary school without being able to write at the standard required to cope with its demands, let alone the demands of further and higher education, or even beyond into the workplace. Poor handwriting can contribute to underachievement and low self-esteem.

Research carried out by the Institute of Education shows that most schools have good handwriting policies and practices in place and are helping children to achieve some very good writing. Others have yet to do so.

The researchers also found that

• Over half of the teachers surveyed felt that they had not received sufficient training in the teaching of handwriting
• Only one-third of teachers felt they had been shown how to teach handwriting in their initial teacher training course
• Less than half of schools set aside time specifically for handwriting practice
• Only a fifth of schools with handwriting policies taught children ways of increasing their speed
• Only 13 per cent considered ergonomic features, such as the size of furniture relative to the size of the child
• Less than half - 45 per cent - of schools communicated with parents about the school's methods of teaching handwriting or children's progress
• Only 4 per cent of schools gave consideration to the needs of children who write in a different script

Source: Handwriting Policy and Practice in English Schools by Anna Barnett, Rhona Stainthorpe, Shelia Henderson and Beverly Scheib, published by the Institute of Education, £8.99.

 

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