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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU that school should scrap “Pen Licences”

135 replies

mumof2exhausted · 04/03/2022 18:15

I just don’t get how it’s still a thing, it’s just another way to single out children who struggle with fine motor skills. As long as their writing is neat and legible does it really matter that it’s not cursive?

OP posts:
Arucanafeather · 04/03/2022 19:54

And taking the sports day analogy… it feels to me more like telling some children they’re too rubbish to take part. There is only 1 winner in a race but possible for all but 1 or 2 children in a class to get a pen license.

Arucanafeather · 04/03/2022 19:55

Surely it could be awarding children in years up 5 with getting a pen earlier but then let everyone have a pen in year 6.

CarbonelCat · 04/03/2022 19:55

My dc have been to a couple of primary schools and neither did this. Luckily.

PurpleFlower1983 · 04/03/2022 19:58

YABU because cursive is a KS2 expectation. I’m not saying I agree though as it’s not expected at secondary.

PurpleFlower1983 · 04/03/2022 19:58

Pen licences don’t always go hand in hand with cursive though.

Woollystockings · 04/03/2022 20:01

Never heard of of pen licences. My DC’s school definitely didn’t do them.

ladyvimes · 04/03/2022 20:02

Agree. Teacher here and fucking hate them. So demotivating for children with poor handwriting who will never reach the proper standard!
I’ve taught incredible writers who never received the school’s pen license. They’re awful!

FrustratedTeddyLamp · 04/03/2022 20:03

I never actually got my pen license I've been writing in pencil for 30 years.

I'm sure I'll get it any day now

FrustratedTeddyLamp · 04/03/2022 20:05

Oh and definitely felt shit being like the only child in my class to get one

Svara · 04/03/2022 20:07

DS just got told to use a pen at the start of year 5, never got the licence (given out through year 3 and 4). He actually preferred a pencil so had to be reminded that he now had to use a pen.

Starlightstarbright1 · 04/03/2022 20:09

Yanbu.

My ds has Dysgraphia. First day of year 6 he was given one basically as he would be expected to write in pen at high school. He will say they just gave up and gave it me.

sadpapercourtesan · 04/03/2022 20:12

I'm a teacher and it's depressing how much of early education is still stacked against a certain kind of child. Boys in particular, who often mature later physically and are often turned off writing because of the focus on neatness. I've had little boys in Y2 who found writing more than a couple of sentences painful - their muscles aren't ready. What they need is lots of directed play aimed at developing fine motor skills - making shapes in sand/flour, painting, lego, magnets. Not fucking pen licenses and being punished for "poor handwriting".

HopelesslyOptimistic · 04/03/2022 20:16

@ladyvimes

Agree. Teacher here and fucking hate them. So demotivating for children with poor handwriting who will never reach the proper standard! I’ve taught incredible writers who never received the school’s pen license. They’re awful!
Is there anything parents can do to get rid of them. Thinking, if enough parents objected would heads think again about implementing. I'm on the fence, actually no I'm not, I think it sounds hideous.
Blossom64265 · 04/03/2022 20:16

My child has fine motor issues and writing in pen was what helped improve her handwriting and make her work legible. Forcing children with handwriting issues to use pencils makes no sense. It is especially true given the modern east to erase pens available today.

Clymene · 04/03/2022 20:20

I agree. Absolutely shit

reluctantbrit · 04/03/2022 20:25

DD struggled enormously with this. Her writing with pencil was just a mess, at home she wrote with ink pen or ink roller pens and it was fairly neat.

Luckily we had a great teacher that year, she said that DD should do all homework in ink to show she can doit and after one month of seeing the work put her on a pen-trial. 2 weeks later she had her pen license.

With any other teacher she would have been leaving primary not writing properly.

There is a huge gap in teaching children fine motor skills in pre-school, especially the ones who aren't fans of art and craft, and also of teaching proper holding of a pen. It doesn't help that at 4 most children don't actually have the necessary skills to do cursive writing.

Sometimeswinning · 04/03/2022 20:26

I'm not completely against them. Maybe certain teachers are too harsh with awarding them? Some of my children work really hard with their writing to get them.

Ofcourseinamechangedforthisyou · 04/03/2022 20:31

Yabu. My child has ASD and processing delay so never got there, but I think it's important to have exceptions but a general rule that being able to write legibly is a good thing. As long as school exams are hand written this matters (one of my DC had IT use, the other just has shit writing and has to get on with it).

I did a masters a while ago and the young uns were utterly perturbed by having to hand write their exams. They really struggled.

As things further up the school change, change the policy, but as it is now it's really important that kids can write legibly, and a pen licence creates an incentive for the desired behaviour.

Darbs76 · 04/03/2022 20:33

Thankfully our primary never did this. DS2 wouldn’t have got one for ages as his handwriting is bad. He sits A levels this year and constantly been told about his hand writing. Thankfully 2 subjects are maths so not lots to write but he’s tried unsuccessfully to get better. Once he leaves school and goes to Uni all his work will be done on a laptop so no problem. I rarely write anything that anyone reads now since I’ve had a computer

FrustratedTeddyLamp · 04/03/2022 20:35

Can someone explain how using a pencil encourages good handwriting? Like what's the correlation?

Ofcourseinamechangedforthisyou · 04/03/2022 20:38

@FrustratedTeddyLamp

The big advantage of pencil us that you can erase it. Once you're in pen it gets really really messy

Shadow1678 · 04/03/2022 20:41

Totally disagree with pen licenses! It’s ridiculous, children should be allowed to choose whatever makes handwriting easier/more comfortable for them. They spend year 3 stressing over trying to get a pen license then automatically get one in Yr 4 anyway 🙄

5zeds · 04/03/2022 20:43

My children loved pen licenses, though everyone used a pen in the top of the school. The license was permission to use it early. There was a similar vibe with becoming a “free reader”. It was a great school though and the children celebrated each other’s success and one of my children who wouldn’t ever achieve those particular “awards” thrived there, because they all enjoyed each other’s progress.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 04/03/2022 20:43

I agree!

It’s just another way of making some children feel crap about themselves, I agree

LabraDabraDoo · 04/03/2022 20:44

They are ridiculous. I’m an EP and work with many kids who will never get a pen license or many of the other accolades by which schools calibrate success. This sort of nonsense can really impact on a child’s sense of belonging and self worth, however many wonderful strengths they have. I often recommend use of certain pens in my reports regardless of bloody pen license statue ( Ergo Sof-balls are good)

I made damn sure my son ( smart little wotnot but below 1st centile in fine motor skills development) went through a ( as it happens ofsted outstanding school) which has no time for this sort of crap. He often uses a laptop for writing. They also don’t keep kids in at break for not finishing their work, don’t have golden time and don’t do ‘rewards and sanctions’. Guess what? Those kids are well behaved, respectful and learn because they are treated as individuals with their own strengths. We are very, very fortunate.