Handwriting Programme of Study - Letter Formation and Handwriting Skills

Sep 28, 2026

New Mills Primary School’s Handwriting Programme of Study sets out a whole-school approach to developing correct letter formation and fluent, legible handwriting. It explains the intent to make handwriting automatic so pupils can focus on higher-level composition and creative thinking. The programme details aims for neat, speedy continuous cursive, consistent presentation expectations, and understanding of different letterforms. It outlines implementation across Early Years, Key Stage 1, and Key Stage 2, including specific motor-skill activities and standalone weekly sessions, concluding with expected impact on pupil confidence and written communication.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Intent

Implementation

Early Years

Key Stage 1

Key Stage 2

Impact

NEW MILLS PRIMARY SCHOOL Handwriting Programme of Study Letter formation and handwriting is taught throughout the school, from mark making to continuous cursive. Children are encouraged to use the correct pencil grip and adaptations are provided to ensure to support the development of fine motor skills where needed. Handwriting is taught separately throughout the week and is encouraged when writing in lessons across the wider curriculum. Intent At New Mills Primary School we understand the benefits of correct letter formation and handwriting sessions. Legible writing that can be produced comfortably, at speed and with little conscious effort allows a child to attend to the higher-level aspects of writing composition and content. We believe that handwriting with pen and paper still has an important role from early childhood through our adult lives. Handwriting is a basic skill that influences the quality of work throughout the curriculum. By the end of Key Stage 2 all pupils should have the ability to produce fluent, legible and, eventually, speedy joined-up handwriting, and to understand the different forms of handwriting used for different purposes. Our intention is to make handwriting an automatic process that does not interfere with creative and mental thinking. We aim: • To develop a neat, legible, speedy handwriting style using continuous cursive letters, which leads to producing letters and words automatically in independent writing. • To establish and maintain high expectations for the presentation of written work. • For pupils to understand, by the end of Year 6, the importance of neat presentation and the need for different letterforms (cursive, printed or capital letters) to help communicate meaning clearly. Implementation As a school, we use a cursive handwriting scheme. All teaching staff model the printed or cursive style of handwriting in all their writing, whether on whiteboards, displays or in pupils’books. Pupils experience coherence and continuity in the learning and teaching of handwriting across all school years and are encouraged to take pride in the presentation of their work. Our objective is to help pupils enjoy learning and developing their handwriting with a sense of achievement and pride. Handwriting is a cross-curricular task and will be taken into consideration during all lessons. However, formal teaching of handwriting is carried out in standalone sessions across the week. Early Years For our youngest pupils we teach short handwriting sessions writing within RWI, which include: • enhancing gross motor skills such as air-writing, pattern-making and physical activities • exercises to develop fine motor skills such as mark-making on paper, whiteboards, sensory trays, iPads, tablets, dough disco etc. • becoming familiar with letter shapes, their sounds, formation and vocabulary • correct sitting position and pencil grip for handwriting Key Stage 1 Teaching progresses to using cursive letters with joins. We progress to using a leading line for our letters. In our sessions we include: • continuing with gross and fine motor skills exercises in Year 1 • strengthening handwriting, learning and practice • numerals, capitals and printed letters; where and when to use, learning and practice Key Stage 2: More advanced handwriting techniques will be taught including: • reinforcing cursive handwriting across the curriculum • dictation exercises promoting quick note-taking and speedy handwriting writing skills Impact The impact of our teaching is to make handwriting an automatic process that does not interfere with creative and mental thinking. As a result of our teaching, children will: • Have a neat, legible, speedy handwriting style using continuous cursive letters, which leads to producing letters and words automatically in independent writing. • Have high expectations for the presentation of written work. • Understand the importance of nea

FAQs

What is the overall aim of the Handwriting Programme of Study?

To develop correct letter formation and make handwriting an automatic process that does not interfere with pupils’ creative and mental thinking.

How is handwriting taught across the school?

It is modelled by staff across lessons and supported through standalone handwriting sessions during the week, with continued coherence and continuity from Early Years through Key Stage 2.

What changes in handwriting teaching from Early Years to Key Stage 2?

Early Years focuses on short sessions to build gross and fine motor skills and familiarity with letter shapes and sounds, Key Stage 1 progresses to cursive with joins and leading line use, and Key Stage 2 introduces more advanced techniques including reinforcement across the curriculum and dictation for quick note-taking.

Sep 28, 2026

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