Fountain pens in primary schools

[Pottedpalm]

Are fountain pens used in (state) primary schools these days? If so, from which year?

No.

Fountain pens!!! Primary kids barely get to use pens hahaha

Not in my dcs primary.

God no.
You've just given me a flash back to when they were in general use in the primary school I taught at. Children would get in a right mess when they got to the end of the cartridge as they would cut the top of the uaed cartridge off to collect the 'Freddie ball' inside.

In Y5 and Y6 in our school.

We use roller ball pens in yr 5/6. No fountain pens for about 20 years in schools I’ve taught in. I do miss the nice handwriting but not the splattery mess.

@DrMadelineMaxwell

God no. You've just given me a flash back to when they were in general use in the primary school I taught at. Children would get in a right mess when they got to the end of the cartridge as they would cut the top of the uaed cartridge off to collect the 'Freddie ball' inside.

Guilty as charged! And going out of my way to be deemed worthy of a fresh piece of blotting paper.

They are allowed I. Y6. They write in own from y4 if their handwriting is good enough but it's the Berol handwriting pens, the frixion pens or roller balls. No biros.

We trialled it a few years ago but it just caused too many problems. Now we just stick with roller balls - much better than those bloody awful red Berol pens!

Yes, apparently our school gives out a special fountain pen to each child who earns their pen license. Oldest just finished year 2 and is desperate to get hers, they usually start from year 3/4.

Yes, apparently our school gives out a special fountain pen to each child who earns their pen license.

What the fuck is a pen license?

Our kids never got their own licenses at primary school - they had to wait till they got to secondary school to be allowed more than a pencil

Nope, handwriting pens once they have earned their pen license. High school aged dc don't use them either

They still use them in Germany! Where we used to live. Was a nightmare for our left-handed DC.

Oh I loved my fountain pen, I wrote in fountain pen until I finished 6th form out choice! 😄 I found them easier & neater to write with! I also remember getting my pen licence in Yr 5 😂 & those weird red Biro pens!

@dreamingbohemian

They still use them in Germany! Where we used to live. Was a nightmare for our left-handed DC.

You can get left handed ones. Or at least you could.

We have to provide one for dd from year 3. Private school. I’m more than a bit concerned about the impact of it on the crazy prices uniform!

What the fuck is a pen license?

It's for the children with neat handwriting that are deemed worthy of upgrading from a pencil to a proper pen.
Very demeaning to DC who don't get it.

@Orangedaisy only buy washable ink cartridges and wash that night if a problem!! I had the same concern but didn't lose any uniform!!!!

Another tip if getting very inky fingers is to take off the lid and check it's not full of ink by stuffing a tissue into it and twisting it round.

I always a fountain pen at primary school from about 8 years old. I loved it. Didn't have to push as hard as a biro. It just flowed.

Handwriting is appalling these days from what I've seen as they'realways on tablets and phones instead of writing

Pen license, so funny, yes year 6 child we deem your writing too poor to upgrade from a pencil but give it a few weeks and when you start secondary everyone has a pen no matter what their writing looks like.

The "handwriting" pen given out in my sons' old primary was a Berol handwriting pen. No fountain pens. For secondary it was mainly rollerballs or biro.

Nope. Not at my dcs primary and that was a few years ago!

Pretty normal in France right from Y1~2. You can find fountain pens in any supermarket. Teachers in secondary would notice/comment if the child isn’t using a fountain pen.

@Orangedaisy

We have to provide one for dd from year 3. Private school. I’m more than a bit concerned about the impact of it on the crazy prices uniform!

Not an issue if you use blue ink (you can even get pens that will erase the ink on paper). Waterman is great for that.

@Ylvamoon

What the fuck is a pen license?

It's for the children with neat handwriting that are deemed worthy of upgrading from a pencil to a proper pen.
Very demeaning to DC who don't get it.

Oh, that's crazy - poor kids

Yes, Y6 in state sector and Y4 in prep for my dc.