The Writing Framework (July 2025) emphasises the importance of progressive development and handwriting as a key transcription skill for fluent and legible writing.
Letter-join’s handwriting scheme supports these aims by:
• Delivering ready to write routines - fun activities support fine and gross motor skills’ development, and correct sitting position and pencil grip for handwriting.
• Providing options to teach unjoined letters before introducing joined writing - teachers can choose to start with a printed, pre-cursive or cursive font to establish correct letter formation.
• Ensuring consistency through a whole school approach - Letter-join’s series of lesson planners and resources for each year group support handwriting targets from Early Years to the end of Key Stage Two.
• Offering a blend of traditional and digital resources - animations, worksheets, dictation exercises, online games and activities are included to support regular handwriting practice and reinforce letter formation and joins.
• Supporting inclusive education with adaptable resources - Letter-join’s resources are ideal for left-handed learners and children with dyslexia, and the Letter-join Handwriting Recovery Programme provides structured support for pupils who find handwriting challenging.
• Presenting clear progression guidance with exemplifications of expected handwriting standards - visual examples support and encourage skills development.
• Helping to reduce the cognitive load when writing - through frequent and consistent practice, pupils are enabled to develop automaticity and focus on their writing content.
In summary, Letter-join provides a comprehensive and adaptable handwriting scheme that directly addresses the DfE’s guidance by prioritising foundational skills and progressive development, ensuring effective handwriting instruction which is aligned with current educational priorities.
We are pleased to announce the launch of Letter-join’s new font, Letter-join Break. The Letter-join Break font supports schools wishing to teach handwriting using some unjoined letters, often referred to as ’break letters’.
All Letter-join’s resources are available in Letter-join Break:
• Letter and word animations
• Worksheets
• Games and activities
• Worksheet Generator
• Word Processor
• Dictation exercises
• Lesson Planners
• Downloadable font for MS Word
Key points include:
• No lead-in stroke
• Alternative letterforms for ‘f’ and ‘k’
• Letters that end on the left do not join to the following letter
• Descenders are unlooped
• The letter z is not joined
The national curriculum does not specify which letters, when adjacent to one another, are best left unjoined and the preferred style is the decision of each school. Letter-join Break can seamlessly follow on from ‘printed’ handwriting and provides an alternative to continuous, joined handwriting.
To help your school choose a handwriting style, we have produced a document explaining the different Letter-join routes into teaching handwriting.
St. Patrick’s Day is held on 17th March each year to celebrate St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. The holiday has become a celebration of Irish culture with parades, special foods, music, dancing and lots of people wearing green!
Engage your learners with some fun, St Patrick’s Day handwriting activities, from Letter-join’s latest series of worksheets for each key stage.
Click here to find these worksheets in your chosen font or type ’st patrick’ into the search bar.
Early Years
Children can practise pre-writing patterns to create a colourful rainbow and then colour the leprechaun and his pot of gold at the end!
Key Stage 1
Spark the interest of your class with some fun facts about Ireland and St Patrick’s Day. Your learners can fill in the missing words and neatly copy the sentences.
Key Stage 2
Encourage pupils to focus on handwriting neatness by copying a longer passage about leprechauns. A great activity to promote legible and speedy handwriting.
Introduce some seasonal spring words using Letter-join’s Word of the Week template. In addition to handwriting practice, children can explore new and unfamiliar words to help them use more adventurous and exciting language in their writing.
Here are some spring vocabulary suggestions: abloom, verdant, rejuvenating, vibrant …
And, to put a spring into everyone’s step, here are some cheerful and colourful handwriting spring-themed worksheets and Easter worksheets from Letter-join!
