to think that handwriting in infants (school) doesnt really matter

[laptopdancer]

that much?

I mark university exams and Msc scripts and can tell you it has no bearing on academic ability in the future.

Not quite sure what you mean OP?

Sats apparently have a big handwriting mark component

Well, I bow to your superior knowledge. In my experience it is always worthwhile to school young children in handwriting. Thereafter the speed of their thoughts can often outstrip neatness. The tools of the trade should be taught.

I wish they spent more time on correct pencil grip at the very start.

agree, my DD is nearly in tears as the teacher thinks her handwriting isnt neat enough - she is a left hander and struggles a bit.

Plus at the moment they are making them do cursive joined up writing, FFS I can't even read that stuff, or write it myself.

I think YABU. DS2 has always struggled with his handwriting and even now in yr 5 his is one of the worst and it is very obvious when the class has their work on display. He is intelligent and if you can decifier what he has written it is good but unfortunately it can be difficult to always understand his writing which I feel will hinder him in the future.

He is improving but it is very slow. I wish he had had more intensive work given to his writing earlier on and it has been the one thing I have asked every teacher to help with.

I think they should spend more time on fine motor pre-writing skills, finger writing, and correct posture and pencil grip.

me too inchoccyheaven. And as they get older and have to write more in Primary, their self-esteem plummets if writing is effortful for them

lapdancer - AFAIK Handwriting is only 3 marks. As long as it is legible, structure, content, punctuation and writing to the demands of the task are more important. Trouble is, motor and speed problems put DCs off writing full stop.

originaljamie im finding the self esteem issue starts in infants ...so much pressure to write well :(

YANBU in saying that it is not an indicator of academic ability, but YABU in thinking it should not be taught. If learning to write legibly is not one of the functions of infant school then I don't know what is.

coccyp1G, I agree 100%. DS is in Yr 2 and the emphasis is in writing volumes rather than writing correctly. I don't think that they actually learn the "art" of writing at all. As long as he has written line after line that the teacher can decipher, she is not concerned at all about how it is written.

Daft, if you ask me, but then no one has!

Our school takes marks off if they dont have perfect ascenders and decsenders ..pretty strict.

yy. I agree that the pressure is there early on and much more time should be spent writing letters in sand, glitter etc, strengthening hand muscles and finger flexibilty.

what posters are saying re emphasis on writing for v young kids I think it sounds unreasonable - but think they should be doing the developing the necessary motor skills etc - I do think there should be emphasis on writing neatly in primary -why wouldn't you want a child to be able to write neatly and correctly?

Unlearning bad habits is much, much harder than acquiring good ones in the first place.

I'd prefer my DCs to have the easier route, and therefore support good handwriting early on (which includes proper pencil grip, fluency and legibility; and is also fostered y other fine motor skills activities).

Penmanship is a real skill that needs to be prepared for and then taught. Neat, fast writing really helps children to progress at school.

My DD (7.2) is at a French school and has great, neat and rapid cursive handwriting. Her spelling and grammar are less advanced than her handwriting skills and that, IMO, is the way it should be - it is much easier to learn penmanship first and to express oneself accurately later.

Thank god OP, DS (4.6) has decided that since he can write his name he's done. His teacher is more [sceptical] obvs.

I will pass on your comment

I think bad handwriting is not an issue when older but it should be in KS1. Handwriting is a skill that we end up doing without thinking so bad habits once formed, stay with you.

I mark A level essay scripts and I can assure it does affect their mark. If you cannot read the work because it is so illegible, then how the hell are you supposed to award marks (and trust me, the examiners do our best to decipher the information).

However, whilst I think handwriting is very important early on, it shouldn't be judged as part of their ability. I agree with the OP that it has no bearing on their actual academic ability and as a secondary teacher I do feel some children come up with the impression that they aren't very bright just because they have untidy handwriting.

YABU because the habits learned when something is learned for the first time stick, and they can be hard to undo.

angel I am a leftie, and it took me until I was about 19 to get a decent, legible style of writing. I always enjoyed handwriting practice etc; just wasn't very good at it! It turned out I was always gripping the pen too hard.

OP, whilst to some extent I do agree with you; I think handwriting practice etc, is more of a discipline/routine thing, like learning times tables by chanting in class and is good for young children.

Laptopdancer I think your school sounds overly harsh. At my son's school its definitely a major focus, but with very little pressure.

I teach Year 2s and can tell you that handwriting does not have a big weighting in terms of the SATS at all, content of writing is much more important. I agree with this but would add that it is important to get children into the habit of writing legibly, it is really quite hard to undo those habits once they get older.

I think DC feel pressure though, almost regardless of the school, because it's a visible sign of what they are producing, and they can see that some DCs can write very well, even at 4, and feel that they can't measure up. I think that's why there should be loads of emphasis on pre-writing for everyone from the off Nursery/Reception, with no requirement to pick up a pencil first of all.

... then when they do pick up a pencil, it should be a big triangular one, or have a pencil grip.