Is 'joined up' writing part of the national curriculum ?

[Mirage]

We've asked both the dds teachers today at parents evening why joined up writing is taught so early and whether it is part of the national curriculum for years 4 and under.Neither was able to give us a proper answer,all we got was that the school as a whole had decided that joined up writing should be taught right from the start.DD1's teacher said that despite dd1 being an imaginitive and creative writer,if her letters were not joined up correctly,she would be 'marked down' in assessments despite spelling,punctuation and content being very good.

Can anyone enlighten us?
Thank you.

National Curriculum Attainment target 3: En3 Writing Level 3

Pupils' writing is often organised, imaginative and clear. The main features of different forms of writing are used appropriately, beginning to be adapted to different readers. Sequences of sentences extend ideas logically and words are chosen for variety and interest. The basic grammatical structure of sentences is usually correct. Spelling is usually accurate, including that of common, polysyllabic words. Punctuation to mark sentences - full stops, capital letters and question marks - is used accurately. Handwriting is joined and legible.

It is generally found that the earlier children do things like this, the better they do them. Some schools teach cursive print so that the transition to joining is smoother.

As the post above says, it is a requirement at level 3 (year 4) but the marks awarded are very few and are unlikely to make much of a difference. Some children write much neater in print.

So, basically, I wouldn't worry.

Thankyou,mrz,that is perfectly clear.

I told DH that Mumsnet would have the answer.

Sorry Wellthen,crossposted-thankyou.We aren't the only parents to have pointed out that as far as we are concerned,we'd prefer them to write clearly and legibly before trying to join letters up.I'm glad that the marks don't make a huge amount of difference,it is one less thing to worry about.

It is in the Primary Literacy framework for Y2 says

Form and use the four basic handwriting joins

Y3
Write with consistency in the size and proportion of letters and spacing within and between words, using the correct formation of handwriting joins

Y4
Write consistently with neat, legible and joined handwriting

Y5
Adapt handwriting for specific purposes, for example printing, use of italics

Y6
Use different styles of handwriting for different purposes with a range of media, developing a consistent and personal legible style

Progression Y6/7
Review the legibility and neatness of their handwriting

could i just be permitted a small hijack please?
mrz,i hope you dont mind me asking but on the subject of writing my dd's teacher(just started y1) told me today that she had marked a recent piece of dd's writing as a 2c,which she described as slightly above average,what would be an average level at this stage?

In Y1 the national expectation would be 1C at this point in the year but the school could have a higher "average" depending on catchment

Thanks mrz,its an outstanding state with lots of profesionals etc so i would imagine you are right and they have a higher average.
I'm pleased though,dd had a tough time making the transition from print to cursive and lost alot of confidence so its good to know she has recovered from this,thanks again

OP, our school did print writing for DS1 (now 10), cursive writing for DD (now 7) and last year went back to print writing for DS2 (5)...seems they change ideas quite a lot in reception at our school !!