Extend Handwriting

Programme overview

Written and developed by Penny Boardman, Justine Gregory and Sarah McGahern
Extend Learning Academies Network ©

Introduction

Extend Handwriting provides handwriting guidance for Year R – 6. Whilst, it is an integral part of Extend Letters and Sounds – a complete curriculum for phonics, early reading and writing, a validated systematic, synthetic phonics programme, it can be used alongside any phonics programme. The programme also provides guidance on learning to join in Year 2 and teaching handwriting in key stage 2.

Progression of skills

The Extend Handwriting Progression of Skills sets out the developmental progression in handwriting. This is presented in year groups which align with the development of most children. The expectations of the programme are more ambitious than those set out in the national curriculum. In particular, there is an expectation that most children will have secured correct letter formation by the end of year 1 and, therefore, be ready to learn to join in Year 2. From Year 3 onwards, the majority of children should be able to write with increasing fluency in a joined style. The progression also provides a summary of the knowledge of the adult that is important at each stage of development and specific information about teaching left-handed pupils.

Prerequisite physical and communication development

Success with handwriting is dependent on many factors linked to communication, gross motor skills and fine motor skills. Extend Handwriting Movement and Language provides practical guidance on activities that will help children develop the skills they need to be successful. If children find letter formation or handwriting difficult, they should be given opportunity to develop any in which they are not yet secure.

Teaching letter formation

Letter formation must be taught discretely either 1:1, 1:2 or in a small group according to need. Ideally, this should happen before children are required to write words in phonics lessons to ensure that bad habits do not form. If this is not possible, then weekly 15-20 minute instructional writing sessions should begin as soon as children are able to hold a pencil using the tripod grasp.

Extend Handwriting Instructional Writing – Letter Formation is exemplar planning for a session. This should be used in conjunction with Extend Handwriting Letter and Number Formation Ditties and Extend Handwriting Letter and Number Formation Full Narrative.

If the school’s chosen phonics programme has a visual or ditty to support letter formation, this should be used instead of the Extend Handwriting ditties. However, when modelling handwriting the Extend Handwriting full narrative should always be used as it gives clear guidance about positioning relative to the writing line and direction of formation. The focus on letter formation should be maintained until formation is secure. Letter formation can then be addressed as part of a broader instructional write that focuses on spelling of words and writing sentences within the children’s phonics knowledge and skills.

Learning to join

Children should be taught to join their handwriting as soon as they can accurately and automatically form each letter. It is important they are taught to join before their speed of printing increases significantly. This is normally in Year 2 but some pupils may be ready to join towards the end of Year 1. This means that rarely is joining taught to a whole class. Instead, the children are taught either individually or in small groups during instructional writing sessions where each join is modelled and practised. Once children can join, the expectation is that, whenever they write, they should use a joined style with the exception of specific contexts that require print (for example, labelling a diagram). In Key Stage 2, letter formation and correct joins are remodelled at the beginning of each year and expectations are set.

The basic principle of joining is quite straight forward: instead of lifting their pencil after forming each letter, children are taught to keep their pencil on the page. Once this simple concept is secure, break letters and the concept of ‘smoothing’ and ‘a hidden smile’ are introduced.

Learning to join is unlikely to take more than about four instructional writing sessions. Fluency is then established through the use of the Fab Five for feedback and sentence dictation.

Year 2-6 revisit and setting of expectations

Handwriting expectations, including accurate letter formation and joins, are revisited at the beginning of each academic year in Year 2 to 6. Working in letter formation groups, the teacher carefully models the formation of each letter before the children form them for themselves. For children who have already been taught to join, joins are then modelled and practised by the teacher modelling and children writing carefully selected words. If children have yet to be taught to join, the same words are used but print handwriting is used. Finally, expectations for sentence dictation are set through the dictation of four pangram sentences.

Spelling and handwriting

Given that cognitive skills, such as visual-orthographic coding, required for handwriting fluency overlap with spelling skills (McBride-Chang et al., 2011), it is reasonable to assume that there is a mutually reinforcing relationship between handwriting fluency and spelling accuracy. Therefore, spelling lessons are simultaneously viewed as handwriting lessons. The ‘Every Time I Write’ success criteria ‘my handwriting is joined and clear’ is emphasised and expected. Teachers model accurately formed and joined handwriting and children are expected to meet this criteria whenever they write a word. Each spelling unit concludes with sentence dictation:

Teacher reviews ‘Every Time I Write’ success criteria with children.
Teacher says a sentence multiple times, modelling counting words as they say it, if appropriate.
Children echo multiple times until they can ‘hold’ the whole sentence in their head.
Children write the sentence. Whilst the children are writing, the teacher should be scanning the room, monitoring for accuracy against the ‘Every Time I Write’ success criteria and providing feedback.
Children review their writing against the ‘Every Time I Write’ success criteria.

Assessment

Handwriting should be assessed using the Extend Handwriting Assessment Rubric. In Year R and 1, it may be useful to maintain a record for each pupil. From Year 2 onwards, the assessment is particularly useful in making an on-entry/exit assessment for a handwriting intervention and in planning the intervention to ensure it precisely meets need.

Key Stage 2 Intervention

Intervention should be based on the children’s needs as identified through the handwriting assessment. Intervention should be 1:1, 1:2 or small group: adult observation and guidance are essential to limit poor habits developing. The format of the intervention should be based on Extend Handwriting Instructional Writing – Letter Formation.

Resources

The programme comes with the following resources:
• Extend Handwriting How to Form Letters Poster
• Extend Handwriting How to Form Lower-Case Letters Poster
• Extend Handwriting How to Form Upper-Case Letters Poster
• Extend Handwriting Letter Formation Visuals
• Fab Five Writing

The Extend Handwriting programme is based on Linkpen 1a font.

Whilst schools may find it helpful to purchase the font for their own use, it is not advised that this font is used to produce all teaching materials across the broader curriculum. Children should read a variety of common fonts such as Calibri and Arial. In general, for handwriting sessions, worksheets should not be used as children need to see the handwriting modelled by an adult.