At St James CE Infant and Nursery School one of our core values is to promote and in still a high standard of handwriting that is consistent throughout the curriculum. As the DFE Writing Framework 2026 states, 'The importance of handwriting cannot be overstated'. We recognise the importance of children being able to write in a style that is legible, fluent and correctly formed. With all these skills, children have a much greater choice of being able to reach and demonstrate their true potential throughout their school journey and beyond. 

Handwriting is taught through daily, discreet handwriting sessions, phonics, guided writing and in all modelled writing across the curriculum. Handwriting is taught using the school's chosen scheme which is Read Write Inc Handwriting (2026). This teaches the following:

• Stage 1-Reception- Letter formation
• Stage 2- Year 1- Readiness to join- the focus shifts to the relative size of the letters
• Stage 3- Year 2- Learning the joins- the core mechanics of joined handwriting

In Reception children are taught in handwriting families - see example below.