'Handwriting decline in West Midland schools is real, measurable, and alarming' - damning assessment from education expert

Step into many of our classrooms today and the problem is obvious.

Pens are gripped awkwardly, letters sprawl across pages, and handwriting is often unreadable. What used to be taken for granted – legible, fluent writing – is now the exception rather than the rule. 

The decline is real, measurable, and alarming. 

As you write your Christmas cards, it may be worth bearing in mind that handwriting isn’t just about neat loops and straight lines. It is a cognitive skill, tied to concentration, memory, and the organisation of thought. Research I published in a white paper almost 10 years ago, later appearing in a journal, shows that when handwriting weakens, so does thinking.

People of a certain age, particularly the post-war generation, had beautiful, disciplined handwriting. Every loop, every line, every stroke was formed with care. It indicated education, style, and sophistication.

Compare that with many of today’s pupils, and the difference is stark. Despite some excellent results in West Midland schools, the decline in handwriting is evident.

Sixth-formers and undergraduates often produce scrawls that are frustrating to read.

Teachers quietly admit: “They’ve never really learned how to hold a pen properly.”

I do not claim to have the best handwriting myself, but I can write reasonably well. In fact, although I typed this article, the notes it came from were all handwritten,  because I know the clarity and focus that writing by hand encourages. In the late 1960s I went to a primary school where teachers believed in the value of good handwriting skills.

The causes of bad handwriting are clear. Early literacy is now dominated by screens.

Children swipe before they scribble. Tablets and keyboards replace crayons and pens. The shift to digital learning has tempted some educationalists to suggest that the teaching of handwriting is an ‘old-fashioned’ idea. 

At home, prolonged screen-time weakens finger strength and hand–eye coordination. By secondary school, pupils rarely practise handwriting, then face high-stakes exams requiring hours of writing. Hands cramp, letters collapse, and ideas are harder to express.

This isn’t a trivial concern. There is strong evidence that indicates handwriting strengthens memory, improves spelling, and structures thought. Teachers are frustrated, examiners - not unlike myself - see capable students lose marks because their answers cannot be read, and SEND referrals for ‘handwriting problems’ are rising — not purely because of disability, but under practice.

Some argue that teaching handwriting is obsolete. But that’s a pedagogical fallacy, a mistake. We wouldn’t skip arithmetic because calculators exist. Handwriting is a foundational skill, and it deserves to survive alongside technology.

I, personally, believe schools must restore rigorous handwriting instruction, especially in early years. 

Parents should limit screens and encourage tactile activities. Teachers and school leaders must insist on handwritten work. As an education consultant advising curriculum delivery, I know this is feasible - and it is also critical.

Handwriting may survive in school data and inspection reports, but on exam scripts and exercise books, it is dying. Unless we act, we risk raising a generation that can tap and swipe but cannot write, cannot focus, and cannot express ideas clearly.

Grandparents, I urge you: as you write your Christmas cards, set an example for your grand children. Show them your handwriting, and tell them - what we all know as adults - that Father Christmas only writes back to children who display neat handwriting.

* Roshan Doug is an educational consultant who is from the West Midlands.