New research from the National Handwriting Association has revealed that fewer than half of teachers felt confident in the ability to teach handwriting, despite the fact that 87 percent value the skill.
With handwriting being removed from curriculums in parts of Finland and the United States, schools in the UK are now seeing lack of understanding of the value of handwriting leading to 1.7 million year six pupils having limited ability to produce work on paper.
These statistics, which risk putting British schools behind high performing countries France and Germany, follow the National Handwriting Association’s partnership with National Stationery Week. The National Handwriting Association is supporting good handwriting practice with a practical guide on how to facilitate comfortable, fluent, legible handwriting. The Good Practice for Handwriting: “Prepare for P Checks and S Factors for Success” poster provides guidance for parents and teachers alike.
National Handwriting Association Chairperson, Dr Angela Webb said, “it’s vital to upskill our teachers, so that they feel confident in implementing a handwriting policy. Parents also have a role to play in helping their child to become comfortable with handwriting, particularly when it comes to practice. This is the only way to raise standards of writing across the board. Handwriting supports all learning from history to maths and gives children a solid foundation to perform well throughout the educational system and into the workplace.”
Chris Leonard Morgan, founder of National Stationery Week added, “it is not a situation where digital devices can take precedence over pen and paper. Ink can complement pixels and the notepad can live alongside the iPad. You can discover and create. Stationery will always be the foundation in which you can build yourself up and with so many stylish choices available, handwriting can now be a fashionable task.”
National Stationery Week is sponsored by Maped Helix, Nu Notebooks, Bic, Sheaffer and Staedtler and start on the April 25 to May 1.
