As technology continues to take over more and more aspects of everyday life, including being introduced to schools, is it having an effect on children's handwriting?

Our reporter Sean McPolin takes a look at why some schools in Kent are prioritising tablets over paper and pen and how attitudes towards writing have changed.

During my school years in Kent handwriting was always an important part of the curriculum and something you'd be encouraged to improve as much as possible, whether it be perfecting your joined up writing or collecting a gold writing badge after anxiously and agonisingly trying to perfect your lines.

Unfortunately, despite many efforts, which included various pencil grips pens, this reporter could only secure a red badge - the lowest achievement other than not having a badge - after months of trying. And yes, I still have it at my parents' house.

But has the importance of youngsters' handwriting ability been ditched as we continue into an era with unprecedented technology?

Multiple Kent schools have began using tablets or iPads to help pupils with their learning, something which was unheard of a decade ago. Now aged 25, I only first got my hands on a tablet in the classroom during my final year of sixth form, and even that seemed like a privilege.

However, establishments like the Oasis Academy in Skinner Street, Gillingham, and Richmond Academy in Unity Street, Sheerness, have funded a large number of devices for pupils and believe they are still teaching the children crucial motor skills.

Richmond Academy invested £30,000 last month to give all its Key Stage 2 pupils iPads to work on. They still have one notebook for writing, should they choose to, but the majority of work will be on the fancy new device.

Explaining the decision and why they don't think there will be a negative effect, a spokesman said: "At its core, writing letters correctly on the page is a motor skill. It requires pencil control, knowledge of the formation pattern and the ability to visually perceive distances.

"Motor skills require practice to become proficient. Digital pens require the same skills as the pen itself replicates a traditional pen. Being able to digitally link on a tablet allows children full access to online accessibility tools that further improve their writing."

Youngsters at the school are able to adjust the colour of their paper and writing, as well the width, height and thickness of pen, which allows them to "completely customise their writing experience".

The academy believes the switch to iPads will prepare youngsters for work life when they leave school and expects other schools to follow suit soon.

It added: "The world around us is changing. When our children leave the education system and it is very likely they will have jobs that do not even exist now and will be interacting with digital devices beyond our current comprehension."

Bosses behind the trust's decision admitted they had looked for evidence of negative effects of making the switch, but came up short.

As mentioned above, the modern workplace now requires more and more use of technology. As a journalist we often use a pad and pen to take down shorthand, but aside from that when is the last time you wrote something down? Aside from a shopping list or note. But even they can be typed out on your smartphone.

Handwriting expert and tutor Elaine Greenfields thinks there needs to be a balance between writing on pen and paper and using an electronic device.

The former deputy head teacher has 30 years of experience said: "There is still a necessary skill for handwriting in society, mainly because children are assessed in their written work.

"From SATS to GCSEs and A-Levels, it's all written unless you have SEND needs. The introduction of iPads and devices is definitely having a knock on effect, and especially in Covid times children are finding it difficult to learn the foundations of handwriting, such as holding a pencil or forming letters correctly.

"Handwriting was taught everyday in the classroom. There was a lot more rigour than there is now. I think it's often not thought of as an actual key literacy skill, but it is.

"You notice the problems from children in Year 1, or the end of their time at school as they begin to take exams. People do judge you on your handwriting, especially examiners, and you may lose marks if your writing isn't legible.

"It is really hard to teach the foundations of handwriting on an iPad and transfer them to pen and paper. And with children spending more and more time on tablets at home they're not spending time colouring, or doing dot to dots, which was common years ago and helps teach fine motor skills."

The Tunbridge Wells mum-of-three doesn't think handwriting will be phased out, but hopes the right balance is found.

She added: "If you think about it, since man began we were marking on walls. Handwriting is a way of expressing yourself. Even if exams became more computer-based there's still a lot of things we do in society which requires it - write a letter, sign your name.

What is next for children in school when it comes to handwriting? Will it ever be a thing of the past?

It's gone from strict lessons on different types of writing - from cursive to italic to joined up writing - badges for certain standards, to using iPads everyday.

Kent Messenger's memory writer Linda Fisher recently recalled her time at Invicta Grammar School in the 1960s, when it was known as Maidstone Technical School For Girls.

She said: "We were given lessons in italic writing and all school work had to be in italics."

Between the 1800s to 1900s chalkboards were commonly used to teach beginning handwriting skills, with writing drills common practice in many schools.

Towards the end of the century typing was used for routine work in large companies, although it was around the 1920s before typewriter technology was advanced enough for widespread use.

By 1924 cursive writing became the popular technique for youngsters to learn.

By the 1970s typewriters were becoming more and more common, but as they were clunky, heavy and noisy, handwriting and written communication was the main form of communication.

Entering into the 1980s, the rise of the computer proved another threat to the skill of handwriting, where it began to be "slowly phased out", according to professor Jane Yank.

And from that period the development of technology continued to rise with the introduction of smartphones and tablets.

The iPhone paved the way for a new form of communication, better known as texting, in the 1990s.

Texting, or SMS (short message service) created a new form of shorthand typing and messaging, with many messages having a word limit in the early days.

Nowadays people can write essays, emails, video, record audio and more on the latest devices.

With children becoming more adapt to technology, and many youngsters growing up with an electronic device within arms reach, many fear this is the "death of handwriting".

Handwriting is a "subject of concern" for many schools in the country, the National Handwriting Association (NHA) has stated.

The charity, which aims to raise awareness of the importance of literacy, said: "There is a widespread lack of professional development in this field. Newly qualified teachers often start with little or no knowledge of the subject and there is inadequate understanding of the skills that underpin sustained development.

"There are frustrating contradictions between the expectations in the EYFS and the National Curriculum documents coupled with pressure on schools to achieve ambitious early outcomes.

"In this climate, it is all too easy for practitioners to “fast forward” to what appears to be accelerated progress and ignore signs of un-readiness.

"The focus of the reception year should be to foster and strengthen the areas of development which provide the basis for long-term success in handwriting and to identify those children who need extra provision to strengthen their skills. There is a pressing need for teachers to “hurry slowly” when growing young writers."

Chair of the association, Amanda McLeod, who runs The McLeod Centre for Learning, added: "Despite more schools using technology handwriting is still used, at least in the primary sector, 100% of children are writing for at least half the day.

"It is still a vital skill and academic evidence has shown that if you are writing things down, and using joined handwriting, you have a deeper recall and understanding of the text.

"Most importantly, the majority of exams, even up into university, are handwritten and if they're not constantly practising the skill they won't get the speed they need to write or the legibility, which affect your grade."

Amanda, who is based in London but has students from all over the world, including Kent, started her career as a reception teacher before specialising in handwriting.

Similar to Elaine, she thinks teachers aren't being taught properly in how to help children.

"I think the level of handwriting training in teacher training colleges is minimal," she said.

"Even if schools switch to iPads and tablet devices evidence has showed that if they're not learning to touch type at a certain speed then you miss out on certain literacy improvements, as well as the quantity and quality of work you can provide."

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