Any views on cursive script being used at school nursery?

[babydriver]

At DS's primary school (where he's currently at morning nursery), they have a policy of going straight to teaching cursive script, as they say it has proved easier for children to learn to write one method rather than two (ie simple then cursive). It's a very good school which tends to back them up in this, but I'm not sure that it's right for DS. He was happy to try to write simple letters and doing OK with it, but finds cursive difficult and gives up almost straightaway.

Does anyone know if there's any research to back up going straight to cursive (or not)? Or what are others' experiences with their LOs?

Ds1 began learning pre-cursive (ie with the letter 'tailing-off' with an upward stroke) but changed school in reception, and in his new school they use cursive (iw with the letter begining with an upward stroke). Personally I think it's awful. He has fairly poor fine-motor skills for writing, and had barely managed to learn how to form letters, when they pushed this change on him. It may be that he's confused by the change, but it's nearly 2 years on now and he still struggles to form his letters. His writing is barely legible much of the time. His teachers are happy with his progress.

In general the school is an excellent school, but I do feel that ds1 has been caught in a one-size-fits-all policy. Most of his peers (he's in Y2) have respectable handwriting, some even write in a fairly flowing cursive script, so I suppose this policy is working. But I don't see the flowing nature of the script helping ds1 witht he flow of his thoughts. If anything it sometimes holds him back.

I wish they had held off the cursive until he had mastered forming his letters and could get their position on the lines and proportions correct. IMO (yeah, I know, I'm no expert) if you are accustomed to pre-crusive letters then the tailing-off flows naturally into the next letter. I think it is unnatural to begin each letter with an upstroke.

hmm, yes, I think the upstroke bit is tricky. We were taught the joining up bits coming from the middle rather than the top or bottom (if that makes any sense) and it certainly seems more logical to me.

Anyone else got any thoughts?