We recently had a short note from deputy head telling us that following an outside inspection, they were introducing a handwriting policy. This meant that every child in school would be given two gel pens.....one for all writing at school and home and the coloured pen for marking their work.
They would only be allowed be allowed to use those specific branded pens and the school would supply them for 40p per pen.
DDs pen ran out a week after she was given it and they smudge.
Today, DS got a note from the tescher in his diary.....to me.....telling me he needed to take in 80p to replace the pens (DS has told me one pen was stolen and one was placed by another child under the table and squashed).
My problem with it all is that (in the words of www.gov.uk) state schools cannot charge parents for materials or supplies.
Surely if they have a problem with handwriting, they should.....errrr......teach handwriting. The NC states that years 5 and 6 should still have handwriting lessons.....DS says they never do. How, by giving them specific pens, will this help handwriting? I'm thinking that either they're trying to make money out of selling them or b) just trying to impress Oftsed.....they are being monitored following issues over the last couple of years.
I feel as though I'm being a bit OTT about it all but it's just another thing where actually teaching the kids seems to be override by another crap idea!
I was going to email his teacher that wrote in the diary....something like:
If the school is going to enforce those pens, then they need to resource them bla bla bla. Should I go ahead and send it? With two kids there, it's going to add up buying 4 gel pens for them every other week!!