Handwriting
What does Handwriting look like at Brill?
At Brill Church of England School, we believe that secure foundations matter.
Fluent, legible handwriting is an important part of becoming a confident writer. When letter formation and handwriting become increasingly automatic, children are better able to concentrate on what they want to say rather than the physical process of writing it down.
From September 2026, we are introducing Letter-join as our whole-school approach to handwriting, providing consistency and clear progression from children’s earliest experiences of mark-making and letter formation through to fluent, joined and increasingly individual handwriting.
INTENT
Our aim is for every child to develop comfortable, fluent, legible and efficient handwriting.
We want children to establish strong habits from the beginning, including:
- correct letter formation and orientation;
- appropriate pencil grip and posture;
- consistent sizing and spacing;
- increasing control and fluency;
- accurate joining when developmentally appropriate; and
- pride in the presentation of their work.
Handwriting is a transcription skill and an essential foundation for successful writing. Our approach reflects our wider commitment to ensuring that children secure the fundamentals before building greater complexity and independence.
IMPLEMENTATION
From September 2026, Letter-join provides a consistent framework for teaching handwriting across the school.
Children follow a progressive journey appropriate to their age and stage, beginning with the physical and fine-motor skills that underpin writing and moving through accurate letter formation towards fluent joined handwriting.
Using a shared whole-school approach ensures consistent language, expectations and teaching methods, enabling children to build upon what they have learned previously rather than encountering different handwriting approaches as they move through school.
Handwriting is taught explicitly and then reinforced through children’s writing across the curriculum.
Where children require additional support, teaching is adapted so that they can develop the physical skills, confidence and fluency needed to make progress from their individual starting points.
IMPACT
By the end of their time at Brill, we want children to write with fluency, confidence and pride.
Our aim is for handwriting to become increasingly automatic, freeing children to focus their attention on the much bigger job of thinking, composing and communicating their ideas.
Like phonics, number fluency and other fundamental skills, handwriting is part of the strong foundation upon which future learning is built.
At Brill, we believe in getting the foundations right – and giving every child the tools to build upon them.
Be Bold. Be Brave. Be Brill-iant.
