Handwriting Progression: What To Teach From EYFS To Year 6
A handwriting progression sets out what children learn each year, from pencil grip and patterns in the EYFS to fluent, fast joined handwriting in Year 6. Filter the grid below by strand or year, switch it to your school's style, and export it.
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The Handwriting Progression Grid
The Handwriting Progression Grid
| Strand | EYFS | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physical readiness | NC Big movements, patterns, tripod grip in almost all cases by the end of Reception | NC Sit correctly, hold a pencil comfortably and correctly | Secure posture and grip routines | Comfortable grip for longer writing | Comfortable grip for longer writing | Stamina for extended writing | Stamina for extended writing |
| Formation | NC Recognisable letters, most correctly formed | NC Lowercase letters in the correct direction, starting and finishing in the right place; capitals; digits 0 to 9 | Revise and practise formation frequently | Consistent formation in all writing | Consistent formation in all writing | NC Choose letter shapes when given choices | NC Choose letter shapes when given choices |
| Families | First families taught through movement | NC Understand which letters belong to which families and practise these | Families revisited when joining | Revisit where needed | Revisit where needed | Revisit where needed | Revisit where needed |
| Size and spacing | Letters broadly the right size | Letters sit on the line | NC Lowercase letters of the correct size relative to one another; spacing reflects letter size | NC Ascenders and descenders do not touch; parallel downstrokes | NC Ascenders and descenders do not touch; parallel downstrokes | Consistent size at speed | Consistent size at speed |
| Joins | No joins expected | No joins expected | NC Start using diagonal and horizontal joins; know which letters stay unjoined | NC Use the joins needed; break letters | Joined handwriting in all independent writing | NC Decide whether or not to join specific letters | NC Decide whether or not to join specific letters |
| Fluency and speed | Short daily practice | Frequent, direct teaching | Fluency with joins | Increase fluency | Increase fluency | NC Legibly, fluently and with increasing speed | NC Legibly, fluently and with increasing speed |
| Presentation | Name and simple captions | Capital letters and full stops in the right size | NC Capitals and digits the right size and orientation | NC Increase legibility, consistency and quality | NC Increase legibility, consistency and quality | NC Choose the implement best suited to the task | Unjoined style for labels, data and email addresses; capitals for forms |
Every cell is flagged NC (the National Curriculum or EYFS wording) or Recommended (our suggested sequence, based on the DfE writing framework). Only the NC cells are statutory.
What Is A Handwriting Progression?
A handwriting progression is a year-by-year sequence of handwriting skills that makes sure each year builds on the last. The DfE writing framework asks for handwriting to be taught "in a clearly sequenced progression, starting from reception", and to be cumulative, so teachers build on what pupils learned before. The National Curriculum gives the expectations for Years 1 to 6. See handwriting and the National Curriculum.
What Is The Handwriting Progression From EYFS To Year 6?
The progression moves from movement and grip, to correct letters, to joins, to speed and choice of style.
- EYFS (Reception). Big movements, pre-writing patterns and pencil grip, working towards the tripod grip and recognisable letters, most of them correctly formed. See handwriting in the EYFS.
- Year 1. Every lowercase letter formed correctly, starting and finishing in the right place, plus capitals, digits 0 to 9 and letter families.
- Year 2. Letters of the correct relative size, even spacing between words, and the first diagonal and horizontal joins. See handwriting in KS1.
- Years 3 and 4. Joins used routinely, knowing which letters are best left unjoined, and more legible, consistent writing with parallel downstrokes.
- Years 5 and 6. Legible, fluent writing with increasing speed, choosing letter shapes, when to join and the right implement for the task. See handwriting in KS2.
What Are The Stages Of Handwriting Development?
Handwriting develops in three broad stages. Ages vary a lot from child to child, so treat these as ranges.
- Pre-writing (about 2 to 5). Scribbles, then lines, circles, crosses and diagonals. An NHS occupational therapy chart puts the vertical line at 2 to 3 years and the triangle at about 5 years 3 months. See pre-writing patterns.
- Single letters (Reception and KS1). Correct start points, direction and size.
- Joined and fluent (KS1 into KS2). Joins, then speed and legibility together.
How Do You Adapt A Progression To Your Scheme?
Keep the NC cells and change only the recommended ones to match your scheme.
- Set the style. Print, pre-cursive or continuous cursive.
- Rename the families. Use your scheme's names, such as ladder letters or tunnel letters.
- Move the joins row. For example, OUP's Nelson Handwriting progression introduces the idea of joining in Year 1, while the DfE framework says joins wait until print letters are secure.
- Add your checkpoints. One per term.
See handwriting schemes to compare how schemes sequence joins.
How Do You Check Pupils Are On Track?
Check handwriting progress with a short termly sample against the progression's checkpoints, using the same sentence each time. A fixed sentence makes progress easy to compare across the year. Use the handwriting assessment checklist for the criteria and practice sentences for a ready sentence.
Questions About Handwriting Progression
Can I Edit And Download The Progression?
Yes. Switch the style, edit any recommended cell, and export it as a Word document, PDF or CSV.
Does The National Curriculum Give A Progression?
It gives expectations for each year from Year 1 to Year 6, not a term-by-term sequence. The EYFS covers Reception.
When Should Joins Start?
The National Curriculum starts joins in Year 2, and the DfE framework says joins wait until print letters are formed correctly and consistently. Some schools that teach continuous cursive join earlier. See handwriting joins.