Year 6

In Year 6, children are expected to demonstrate a mature, neat, and fluent handwriting style that is both legible and efficient. By this stage, handwriting should reflect their ability to write confidently at speed while maintaining high standards of presentation. Key expectations include:

• Writing in a consistent and joined style, with neat and legible handwriting evident across all tasks and subjects.
• Developing a refined personal style, where they make thoughtful decisions about when to join letters and when not to, prioritising efficiency without compromising legibility.
• Producing handwriting that supports the expected standard for writing at the end of Key Stage 2, ensuring clarity and neatness in extended and edited pieces of work.
• Maintaining fluency and control even during timed tasks or assessments, demonstrating that handwriting is no longer a barrier to expressing their ideas.

By the end of Year 6, handwriting should be fully embedded as an automatic skill, allowing children to focus entirely on the quality and content of their writing.

In this example, the child’s handwriting is joined, neat, and fluent, with a clear personal style that enables them to write efficiently at speed. Their ability to adapt their handwriting to the task, choosing when to join and when not to, shows a mature understanding of handwriting as a practical tool. Meeting these expectations is essential for achieving the Key Stage 2 writing standard, preparing them for the demands of secondary school and beyond.