Pupil Handwriting Assessment
(July 2012)
Taken from: WRITING HANDWRITING Regional LA Support Services (ReLEASS)
Name of pupil:
Yr Group:
School:
Assessed by:
Date of assessment:
Before starting the assessment please ensure the table and chair are the correct height
Pre-requisite physical skills Y N D
yes No Developing
Can use the index finger in isolation
Can perform finger and thumb opposition using either hand (touch
each finger independently with thumb)
Can hold objects in pincer grip
( pick up a small item using index finger and thumb)
Shows acceptable finger/hand strength
(roll play dough with both hands/squeeze water from a sponge)
Can rotate wrists/forearms
Demonstrate hand dominance
Ability to cross mid-line of the body
(Take hand across the body)
Ability to use two hands together
Comments:
1
Pre-writing skills Y N D
yes No Developing
Ability to track from left to right (see additional sheets)
Can draw horizontal/vertical lines and circles (see additional sheets)
Can draw combined vertical and horizontal lines
LT+ (see additional sheets)
Can draw diagonal lines (see additional sheets)
Can draw 2D shapes □ (see additional sheets)
Comments:
Be aware that children usually learn to copy shapes in the following order:
Circle 3 years
Cross 4 years 1 month
Square 4 years 6 months
Triangle 5 years 3 months
It is recognised that if a pupil can copy the following shapes:
L T + (which should be developed in this order) they are ready to start learning to write
letters. If a child reaches the age of five years and is unable to copy these shapes they may find it
difficult to learn to write letters (reference Kate Ripley).
Sitting and working position Y N D
yes No Developing
Can maintain an upright body position
Holds the paper using the non-writing hand
Comments:
Handling pens and pencils Y N D
yes No Developing
Uses a functional pencil grip independently eg. tripod
Uses a functional pencil grip eg. tripod with aids
(pencil grip/handi-writer)
Applies appropriate pencil pressure to the paper
Comments:
(Note – A tripod grip is not the only functional grip
A functional grip allows the child to control a pencil without extreme fatigue or pain)
Foundation Stage Stop Here
2
Movement patterns for writing Y N D
(see additional sheets) yes No Developing
Copy and continue patterns using downward strokes which finish on
the line and below the line
Start on the line and copy and continue a pattern made by combining
a push and pull action
Start on the line and copy and continue a pattern which loops in a
diagonal direction
Copy and continue an anticlockwise circular pattern
Start on the line and copy and continue a pattern which combines a
clockwise and anticlockwise movement
Start on the line and copy and continue a zig zag pattern
Comments:
3
Letter formation and joins Y N D
(see additional sheets) yes No Developing
Can find a wooden, magnetic or printed lowercase letter when given
the sound for all the alphabet letters
Writes own name correctly from memory
Can form ‘ladder letters’ (based on a straight line)
l, i, t, u, y, j
Can form ‘one armed robot letters’ (straight line with forward
movement)
r, n, m, p, h, b, k
Can form ‘caterpillar letters’ (letters based on ‘c’)
c, o, a, d, g, q, e, s, f
Can form ‘zig zag monster letters’ (diagonals)
v, w, x, z
Write ascending letters correctly
Write descending letters correctly
Begins to join letters
Can form the first join (join from a short letter to a short letter)
eg. in is im an
Can form the second join (join from a short letter to a tall letter)
eg. it id at
Can form the third join (join from o,v,w, and r to a short letter)
eg. on or oa oo
Can form the fourth join (join from o,v,w,and r to a tall letter)
eg. ol ot wl rt
Identify and form capital letters correctly
Uses upper and lowercase letters appropriately
Comments:
4
Number formation Y N D
(see additional sheets) yes No Developing
Form the numbers 1-10
Shows correct orientation of numbers
Comments:
Presentation and spacing Y N D
yes No Developing
Place words on a line
Letters in a word have consistent height
Puts regular spaces appropriately (spaces are the same width
between words)
Begins on the left hand side of the page
Align work correctly (starting at the margin) and continue across
the page
Write with fluency
Maintain sufficient stamina for writing
Comments:
5
Additional Sheets
Copy the shapes
6
Additional Sheets Continued ...
Continue the pattern
7
Additional Sheets Continued ...
Letter Formation Assessment
Read out each of the letters and ask the pupil to write the letters on the next sheet
Ladder
letters l i t u y j
8
One - armed
robot r n m p h b k
Caterpillar
c o a d g q e s f
Zig-zag
monster v w x z
Additional Sheets Continued ...
Letter Formation Assessment
Ladder
letters
9
One - armed
robot
Caterpillar
Zig-zag
monster
Additional Sheets Continued ...
Write the letters of the alphabet (uppercase)
10
Additional Sheets Continued ...
Copy the joins
Can form the first join (join from a short letter to a short letter)
in
is
im
an
Can form the second join (join from a short letter to a tall letter)
it
id
at
Can form the third join (join from o,v,w, and r to a short letter)
on
or
oa
oo
Can form the fourth join (join from o,v,w,and r to a tall letter)
ol
ot
wl
rt
Comments:
11
Additional Sheets Continued ...
Draw a picture of yourself
Write a sentence of your own
12
Additional Sheets Continued ...
Write your name
Write the numbers 1 - 10
Colour the shapes
13
Sitting Position
A good sitting position at the table is necessary for effective fine motor control – including handwriting
and typing.
As a general rule, this is what makes a good sitting position:
Feet flat on the floor (if feet don’t reach the floor, use a foot rest)
Ankles, knees and hips should be at 90 degrees
The chair should be pulled in, so that the body is up to the desk
The lower back is supported by the chair
Table height is at, or slightly above the elbow crease
Make sure that the table and the chair height are appropriate
Shoulders should be relaxed and forearms supported by the table
Ideally this would mean that classrooms have a range of tables and chairs of different heights
appropriate to different children
14