Do schools take pen licences away?

[Tuesday588]

DD is in Year 3 and was awarded her pen licence a few weeks ago. She's one of the first in her class to get one so was extremely pleased about this and I feel it has been a good confidence boost for her as she sometimes struggles in other areas of learning.

She came home from school upset today saying that her teacher had pulled her to one side and said that her writing isnt as neat in pen and it was in pencil and if it's the same tomorrow that she will be taking her pen licence away and she will need to go back to writing in pencil.

Does anyone or any teachers know if that is a thing? Do teachers actually take pen licences away once they've been rewarded?

Obviously dd is very upset by this and has gone to bed upset. If the teacher has just said this to get dd to try harder with writing in pen then fine but surely as she's only just started writing in pen it will take her a while to get used to it.

I just wondered if anyone had experience with this ? Thanks!

Who thought up the utter twattery that is a ‘pen licence’ FFS

Pen licences are ridiculous and don't help in any way. It feels more like a petty power struggle than an achievement for the kids. Tell your daughter she can have all the pens she wants at home, no one will care in a few years when she got her pen license or whether it was revoked or not.

Because of Covid some kids are nearly finished with y4 and still writing with a pencil.

Pen licenses are BS i think schools should stop doing them, I work in secondary school and the amount of year 7s that have to be told you don’t need a licence here to write in pen and you don’t even need joined up writing - we just want to be able to read it clearly. I feel sorry for your daughter it’s not worth having but at that age its everything. Poor girl

Another one whos never heard of this.

What on Earth is a pen licence? We automatically went to pen in year 5.

@PurpleRainDancer

Who thought up the utter twattery that is a ‘pen licence’ FFS

Now don’t criticise. It’s a very real and serious thing and you’ll get told off by the misery squad if you take the piss. 😄🤣

Yes a lot of schools have them my daughter went to three primary schools and they all had pen licences my son went to a different one same deal pen licence he worked really hard to get it but still his handwriting is awful (he is in secondary) ive never heard of them being taken away its just an achievement you earn and move on surely?

What happens if a pupil is found in possession of an unlicensed pen? 🤨

I’m pretty sure all children started using pens at the same time in my DC school, and when I was at school too. I don’t like the idea of a pen licence - it seems to be public way to humiliate children who aren’t so good at writing.

@Ilovedthe70s

What happens if a pupil is found in possession of an unlicensed pen? 🤨

They get put in the penitentiary! 🤩

DD had hers taken away. I am not suprised, her writing was rubbish. She eventually got it back a year later. She was a bit bothered but I pointed out it make an effort and write in pen or don’t be bothered and stick to pencil

@Ilovedthe70s

What happens if a pupil is found in possession of an unlicensed pen? 🤨

Writing without a licence!

Community service and 3 months of playtime missed!

Maybe just tell her that pen licenses are a crappy made up thing anyway and not something to be worried about. DS never got one, he physically can't write neatly enough to meet the expected standard. After 2 and a half years of making him feel bad about it the teachers gave up at some point near the end of year 4 and just let him write in pen.

My daughter earned hers in year 4 and in year 5 the new class teacher revoked all of the children's pen licences as she said their writing was too messy. It was sad as they worked hard to earn them and were proud of them juat to have them taken back. I think it's a silly idea and they weren't around when I was at school.

Forget pen licences, the real devil here is spending 6 years being told to write in cursive, only realise in year 7 that no one cares if your letters are joined up or not, as long as it's legible

Yes - does your child go to the same school as mine? First act of one of her teachers halfway up the school was to take away everyone's pen licence who had earned it in the previous class. The justification they gave was that some had been given it without deserving it. Parents evening feedback was that DD was bright but underconfident and should put her head above the parapet more (they were all desperate not to rock any boat!) Let's just say that I was a tiny bit grateful that lockdown did not give that class a full year.

I'm wondering whether this is a regional thing. I've taught in Cornwall and Hampshire and have never heard of a pen licence before.

If a child was being sloppy with their writing then yes, I'd take it away. It wouldn't come without warning and it wouldn't happen if they legitimately struggled with handwriting (always based on the child's own ability rather than one standard for all). And it'd usually be returned after a day/week/other specified deadline.

I think this 'licence' concept is rather daft.

It takes me back to when I had my 'Shoe Bag Hook licence' taken away for failing to roll up my rubber mat correctly on three successive occasions.

As a result I had to hang my Shoe Bag around my neck during class.

Fortunately the licence was reinstated two weeks later after I organised all the bean-bags into separate colours, in my own time.

My ds has dysgraphia. He got his on the first day of year 6. He said he got it because they gave up.

In reality they need to learn to write in pen for high school as they then can't write in pencil

I’m stunned by this information. I’d never heard of pen licences, despite teaching for 38 years.
Why are schools still making things up to ‘beat’ children with and make them feel inadequate?
Why not just get on with teaching?

I hate pen licences. They are awful things which some children can never attain due to a variety of reasons. If they need to write with pen give them a bloody pen!

DD doesn't have her pen license. Every time she's asked to do a project , particularly an extra one, for school she writes in pen.

Yes, my DD got a pen licence and then got it taken away again and had to regain it. She was proud to get it in the first place, then very upset to have it taken away, I don't know if she was warned in advance that would happen. I also knew nothing of pen licences before DC1 got to KS2 and I don't really see the point.

That's so mean. How to crush a child's confidence...!