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The Mount Stewart
Schools Federation

End of Year 3 Expectations

Year 3

In Year 3, children work on developing a fluent, joined handwriting style as they transition towards writing with greater speed and confidence. By this stage, joining letters becomes an integral part of their handwriting, and the focus is on improving consistency and legibility. Children are expected to:

  • Join all letters in their writing as a matter of course, ensuring their handwriting flows smoothly across the page.
  • Use capital letters correctly, ensuring they are not joined and are appropriately sized and positioned.
  • Continue to refine their letter sizing, aiming for consistency across their writing, though some minor inconsistencies may still occur as they adapt to joining multiple letters.
  • Write with sufficient fluency to fit more words per line, reflecting their growing proficiency and confidence.

 

By the end of Year 3, handwriting should be neat and legible, with clear spacing between words and a steady flow across the page. While children may still show slight inconsistencies in letter size or spacing, their writing should demonstrate a significant improvement in fluency compared to Year 2.

In this example, we can see how the child has progressed to consistently joining all letters, with capital letters correctly used and not joined. Handwriting flows well, and the child is able to fit more words per line, which reflects their developing speed and control.

 

End-of-year expectations for Year 3 emphasise the importance of handwriting that is not only legible but also efficient, preparing children for more demanding writing tasks in Year 4. At this stage, children are encouraged to practise regularly to ensure their handwriting becomes both consistent and automatic, supporting their overall writing skills.

Handwriting Expectations in Year 3