What's the issue with ballpoint pens (or not)?!

[AChickenCalledKorma]

DD2 is in year 6. They are allowed to bring their own pencil cases. But apparently pens must be "handwriting pens". No ballpoints. Not even the nice, flowing ink ones that write like a dream and are much longer-lasting than the fibre-tipped handwriting pens that seem to dry up within a week.

Just ... why? What's the issue? Especially for a child who has been writing legibly and fluently with a pen for about four years now!!

I know it's a small thing, but it's got under my skin and I don't want to go shopping for EVEN MORE new pens

What is a 'handwriting pen'? Is it one of those red berol ones?

I am no use because DD is in a different school system. She is 5 and can only write capitals so far, but she had to buy ballpoint pens in several colours for school this year.

Usually the berol ones, yes. School here had the same rule, no idea why. Tesco own ones are cheaper, look very very similar and seemed to last longer, I found

Mine are allowed anything apart from biros. I'm all for students bringing in their own frixion pens, lovely ink rollerballs and, best of all, fountain pens. School budget only runs to fibre tipped handwriting pens which are rubbish.

We use blue "biros" of any type. Those handwriting pens are banned as they are rubbish! (IMHO)

Technically Berols are a type of ballpoint. I have never figured out what schools really want.

Only Berols approved in our primary.
Only Biros (ballpoint) approved of in secondary.

Jazsus wept...

(sigh) - I'm very relieved to hear teachers on here confirming that the handwriting pens are, indeed, rubbish! Perhaps I will ask at Parents' Evening. After 10 years as a parent at the same school, I'm past caring whether that makes me one of "those" parents

DD has just started in Y7. They also need to have a purple biro for marking each others work in class. Failure to have a purple biro can result in a detention. I kid you not.

We don't encourage the use of biros or fountain pens purely on the mess they can cause when they leak.

Fountain pens with the replaceable cartridges are a nightmare. The children change them, get messy. They even, round her, cut off the top and take out the tiny ball inside and collect them. They call them 'Freddy balls'. No idea why.

Euphemia I remember when I went from Scotland to teach in England I was amazed that the pupils wrote in pen, Never done is Scottish schools at all. I was teaching a P6 class and their presentation was atrocious. Much better to use pencil, at least you can rub out the mistakes instead of the endless scoring out.

DWe don't rub out (infants using pencil) or cross out (juniors using biro) and have high expectations for presentation.

Stationery is provided but some older pupils like to bring their own pencil case.

I get the not rubbing out, mrz, it can make a horrible mess, but what do they do if they make a mistake?

I was always taught to cross it out with a single line through it.

Agree that a nice quality biro is better than handwriting pens though.

Speaking as a dyslexic I have to say that I always found writing in fountain pen easier that biro. Biros go too quickly and get ahead of your thinking. (Not sure if that makes sense)

children put a dot to indicate to the teacher there is an error then continue writing.

That sounds sensible.

In my case it's normally my thinking that gets ahead of my hand, Pipbin. The writing implement doesn't seem to make much difference. But I understand what you mean.

I know fountain pens and similar ones are becoming popular in my daughter class. She has not asked for one; I don't know whether she needs it or whether it is a fashionable thing to have. School has not asked for anything either. What's the difference? Do they really need it? Do they really do that much handwriting ?

I don't understand the biro ban. I teach secondary and have classfuls of kids writing in biro daily. There is the odd ink leak but only when children have been chewing them, usually. Certainly maybe one pupil a month out of the hundred or so I teach.

The pens are used for every piece of work luna

This is taking me back. We used to save an empty cartridge, then every time another one was finished extract the little ball and pop it into the empty cartridge till we had a whole collection of them in there.

At DDs secondary only fountain pens are allowed. She does (now) write beautifully but I'm not sure they are a good idea for GCSE exams when you've got a limited time to get everything done.

sliced finger ds' school have just brought in that same rule about the purple pen for marking so I feel your annoyance, why purple??

Is that France altered? A pencil case full of different coloured biros for verbs and adjectives brings back memories of the Lycée system, Brit 35 years ago. Not necessarily good ones

It's a -stupid- idea adopted by some schools called your purple polishing pen.

They probably do "tickled pink" and "green for growth" too

In our school they start with fountain pens in the 2nd class. No biros allowed. They are taught beautiful cursive writing. I look back at my dc books with amazement and pride. Then they get to secondary school in the 5th class, can write with whatever they want and their writing goes to shit. No more joined up writing. Looks worse than a 2nd class kid before they were allowed to touch a pen. The beautiful cursive lasts for 2 years of primary and is but a distant memory