Handwriting

 

Handwriting

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

I was surprised to discover that the National Curriculum requirements for handwriting have changed. By the end of Key Stage 2, when children leave Primary school at the age of 11, the guidance states that children should have ‘neat and legible’ handwriting. They are no longer expected to write using cursive handwriting.

Research shows that most secondary school students abandon cursive script in favour of print because they find it faster. Research also shows that writing a joined-up script helps the writer to remember notes better and it has been shown that primary age children benefit from writing in cursive when learning spellings.

Choose your research carefully!

My handwriting is execrable and I admire those who can produce a beautiful script apparently effortlessly.

The following are examples of handwriting in the last century.

                          This was written in 1920 by a teacher who would have been taught to write in the late 19th century. Henry G Mayne was my father's older brother, the middle of three boys.

This was inscribed by my father in a book. He learnt to write in the early 20th century.

This writer learnt to write in the 1930s.

All of these girls would have been taught handwriting between 1940 and 1950. There is such a disparity of styles, the most attractive and legible being 3 and 4.

All of the following were also taught between 1940 and 1950.

In the next generation, the 1970s, some were taught italic writing, others the Nelson method. Each person adapts their handwriting.

In the early 2000s, some handwriting looked like this.

Finally, in around 2017, the script is like this. 

This was written by a seven-year-old and there is no indication of what the adult writing will look like.

    Do you like your handwriting? Have any of you practised calligraphy?