01/06/2026
A liaison between primary schools in the same area can also be a great help. Not only can they produce a uniform policy that will benefit their pupils, but they can also pool resources, such as in-service training sessions and learn from each other’s experiences. If primary and secondary schools were to meet occasionally, there could be even greater benefits. Feedback can be available to junior schools to show any difficulties that their own (ex)pupils are having in dealing with the speed, pressure and new priorities in secondary schools. A positive consequence may be modifications in the policy for top juniors, with more emphasis on speed to prepare them for the changeover. Together, the schools can discuss the real problem: that unless pupils have learned the correct movement of basic letters, it is inadvisable for them to be encouraged to join up their writing. At whatever stage basic movement faults are detected, they must be dealt with, but teachers must also be aware that determining the rights and wrongs of personal movement between letters is not so straightforward. Many personal joins remain perfectly legible and enable pupils to speed up their writing. All of these points point to the need for teachers of all subjects to be more informed about handwriting.
