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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:
CarlCarlson · 04/03/2022 20:45

Maybe schools should scrap everything that separates kids by their ability 🙄

janj2301 · 04/03/2022 20:46

Cursive is not taught in most schools in the states and NOT AT ALL in Finland

Crackercrazy · 04/03/2022 20:46

Funnily enough my DD10 got hers today and was really made up. She’s worked hard on improving her handwriting. I can’t say I really thought about it before.

LondonQueen · 04/03/2022 20:46

I never got a pen license in school because I didn't join my handwriting, my DM gave me a pen to useGrin

Original poster
mumof2exhausted · 04/03/2022 20:53

@Arucanafeather

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.
Exactly!
OP posts:
Original poster
mumof2exhausted · 04/03/2022 20:54

@PurpleFlower1983

Pen licences don’t always go hand in hand with cursive though.
They do at our school. Only when cursive writing is perfected are they “awarded” at our school
OP posts:
FurForksSake · 04/03/2022 20:57

My son has hypermobility that particularly affects his shoulders, elbows, wrists and his fingers. He has worked so hard to get his pen license and has achieved it recently. It was a real incentive for him and he was so proud to receive it.

He's never going to win any sporting prizes (though he tries and takes part in several), he never receives head teachers awards or weekly praise certificates as he is very middling. So for him, this was SOMETHING.

I do agree that cursive isn't everything and that some kids might never achieve this, but I don't think we should necessarily get rid of it.

I also think that children that obviously aren't going to achieve it or need to use a laptop for various reasons should be taught to touch type and use a laptop to store and retrieve their work in primary.

StarCat2020 · 04/03/2022 21:24

At the age of 43 I will never get one.

Never mind, better to have legible writing.

marmitecake · 04/03/2022 21:28

I don't know, it's kind of like should we scrap sports day or winning in football because some won't be able to? Of course not.
Mmmm, I disagree. The use of a pencil or pen is a major part of the school day and school life whereas the annual sports day or playing football really isn't and for that reason pen licenses (or lack of them) makes pupils stand out amongst their peers for something they often have little control over.

Op, my DS never got his either due to fine motor difficulties. It felt rather punitive to me and to my son at the time. He's 18 now and he still remembers. His writing wasn't joined or cursive and sometimes letters were bigger than others but it was neat and decipherable.

thehighsandthelows · 04/03/2022 21:34

I had no idea this was a thing until very recently! Saw photos of some kids in my sons class proudly showing off their pen licenses and just thought oh that's another unachievable thing

notnowbernadette · 04/03/2022 21:35

Pen licences are overrated. DS stopped joining up his writing on day 1 at secondary school when nobody cared about handwriting and it's done him no harm at all.

Hankunamatata · 04/03/2022 21:37

Urgh never realised the pain these were until my wee leftie start school. In the end the teacher agreed he could print as being dyslexic and left handed was not a good combo for him

FairyCakeWings · 04/03/2022 21:38

@Arucanafeather

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.
There’s only one person in a race that comes last though, and that person can be seen by everyone all at the same time.

Not every child will get their pen licence in the same term and by the time the majority have them the children have lost interest in who’s writing with what.

CasperGutman · 04/03/2022 21:40

This is something I've only heard of on Mumsnet. It wasn't a thing in my own education in England in the 80s and 90s, and it isn't a thing in my children's education in Wales now. Thank goodness!

Arubaa · 04/03/2022 21:42

I'm not entirely sure the criteria for rewarding them in our school. My dd got hers in yr2 and I remember her being really happy about it but apparently there are still some children in her yr 4 class who still write in pencilHalo

Greenandcabbagelooking · 04/03/2022 21:43

I’m a teacher, although not one who gives out pen licenses, and I wouldn’t earn my pen license in my school.

My head saw my writing on the board during a learning walk, and noted that I need to write in joined up writing. I could, but it would take an age, be illegible and make me achy. My printing is lovely.

Fridgeorflight · 04/03/2022 21:43

Not only does our school do pen licenses, but they revoke them at the end of each year and they have to be re-earnt. My eldest finds this tedious - she's now at the stage where her writing is definitely pen license worthy, so it's just a stupid process. My youngest had an early diagnosis of dysgraphia, which I think may not be correct, but I'm not holding out much hope for a pen licence. I didn't think much of it with my eldest, but it is giving me an insight into how difficult it is when you are an outlier.

madeittofriday · 04/03/2022 21:45

We had pen licenses in the early 1980s!

ItsAlwaysThere · 04/03/2022 21:48

My child's school do it but it isn't about neatest writing. It's stressed that it's about taking some extra care and showing that they're working on it. Even if handwriting isn't neat, if a child has been working hard on presentation, grip etc whatever it may be, they get the pen license.

Dimondsareforever · 04/03/2022 21:49

I voted yabu because there are lots of awards for a board range of subjects. (I am of course assuming your school is similar to ours). My dc struggles with most. She sees everyone in the class being a higher reading range, getting their time tables award etc … she felt down …. however, she was then the first to get her pen license in her year. This did her confidence the world of good. All children have different skills and abilities. Provided they are all catered for, then yabu.

ItsAlwaysThere · 04/03/2022 21:49

@ItsAlwaysThere

My child's school do it but it isn't about neatest writing. It's stressed that it's about taking some extra care and showing that they're working on it. Even if handwriting isn't neat, if a child has been working hard on presentation, grip etc whatever it may be, they get the pen license.
They all do get one eventually, by a certain point in year 4.
Obimumkinobi · 04/03/2022 21:50

I agree they should be scrapped. Children's efforts to improve their handwriting can be praised with positive comments in their exercise book or getting a more general "merit" point. This way, all children have a chance to get an award for something, instead of the daily reminder that you don't, and may never, measure up.
With reading bands/free readers there are lots of levels - whereas the pen licence splits the class into "haves" and "have nots". My DC's school gave out licence "credit cards" which kids kept on their desks.

Original poster
mumof2exhausted · 04/03/2022 22:06

@Obimumkinobi

I agree they should be scrapped. Children's efforts to improve their handwriting can be praised with positive comments in their exercise book or getting a more general "merit" point. This way, all children have a chance to get an award for something, instead of the daily reminder that you don't, and may never, measure up. With reading bands/free readers there are lots of levels - whereas the pen licence splits the class into "haves" and "have nots". My DC's school gave out licence "credit cards" which kids kept on their desks.
I agree with this so much. I’m fine with grading, streaming and book levels etc. My son has friends on higher book levels and he is fine with that as he is aware reading isn’t his strength but he’s brilliant at Maths but this bloody pen thing has no range. It’s have or have no and as the have nots have to write with a pencil it’s so obvious. And often there’s a physical reason which makes it more difficult.

It’s just all the more ridiculous as with the way the world is progressing hand writing just isn’t that important. I ironically love writing and when I was young I did a calligraphy course as loved it (I know weirdo) but it didn’t help me get my first at uni as shock horror I had to type up my dissertation and in the exams they couldn’t give a flying fuck about hand writing, more that I got the questions correct. Throughout lockdown / home learning all work was completed on computer and marked online.

OP posts:
Arucanafeather · 04/03/2022 22:22

Not at my kids school. Both left/leaving year 6 with no pen license and having to write in pencil till they go to secondary school.

Arucanafeather · 04/03/2022 22:24

Sorry that last post was in reply to pp saying that in their school pen licences were for early years but at some point in primary all kids got pens.