Handwriting

Here at St Dominic’s Catholic Primary School, we place great importance on developing confident, fluent writers from the very start. In the Early Years, children are taught to recognise, read and write letters in a clear printed form, building strong foundations for future writing. As they move through the school, all children are taught cursive handwriting in a carefully planned and progressive way using the Letterjoin scheme, ensuring consistency and progression at every stage.

Our handwriting journey develops step by step:

EYFS: Children learn printed letter formation in line with the Read Write Inc. phonics programme.
Year 1: Children are introduced to lead-out letters, preparing them for joining.
Year 2: Children use lead-in and lead-out letters, joining the digraphs they have been taught.
Years 3 to 6: Children write using a continuous cursive script, developing fluency and confidence.

Our aim is for all pupils to develop a neat, legible and speedy handwriting style, achieving automaticity so that letter formation and joining require little conscious effort. This automaticity frees children to focus on the content, creativity and quality of their writing, enabling them to communicate their ideas clearly and effectively across the curriculum.