The headmaster of an Edinburgh school where pupils have gone back to using fountain pens said they helped to raise academic performance.

The writing policy at Mary Erskine and Stewart's Melville Junior School in Edinburgh means children a young as seven are using the pens.

 

Bryan Lewis, the school's head teacher, said the practice helped boost youngsters' self-esteem.

 

It is thought the pens make pupils write neatly, which helps exam markers.

 

Fountain pens have been used for many years by older pupils.

 

The move comes after the Scottish Qualifications Agency said markers had difficulties with poor handwriting on exam papers.

 

Mr Lewis said in the past four to five years the use of fountain pens has been extended, with seven and eight-year-olds using them 80-90% of the time.

 

He said: "We believe if you write in fountain pen you must write neatly, but if you use pencil or ballpoint pen you can mask bad handwriting.

 

"We have a particular writing style and we have developed it very carefully and found a way that allows left and right handed people to write without smudging.

 

"We think children deserve to be able to show their work neatly. We think children need to be literate and numerate and the way society is now we have to work harder.

 

"The role modelling is not always there, so they need it in school."

 

Reaped benefits

 

Mr Lewis said developing neat handwriting was something pupils could then show to their family, who in turn could take it on board.

 

He claimed being praised for good handwriting reaped benefits later and was one of the skills that has suffered as a result of progressive teaching approaches which meant less emphasis was put on basics such as grammar.

 

A large number of pupils join the school aged 10, and have varying standards of handwriting.

 

But within a matter of months they are able to get to grips with the fountains pens and a cursive, or joined-up, handwriting style, the head teacher added.

 

The Headteachers' Association of Scotland believes handwriting basic skills should be taught as a "priority" as soon as children begin primary school.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/6143844.stm

Fountain pens are completely impractical for left-handers like myself, as the words all get smudged on the page.:angry:

Anyway, they should be more concerned about bad grammar and spelling than how the handwriting looks. As usual it's all coming down to "appearance" rather than substance.;)

I knew you'd like this article ;)

I knew you'd like this article ;)

 

Or rather, you had an "inkling"??:P

I'm a lefty as well and I never found it easy to write with a fountain pen, but I started to write with them again a few weeks ago. 'Cause I like it more than regular ball points.

I write with fountain pen almost all the time even though i'm a leftie. i write neater with it than with pencil or ballpoint pen, but i hate it when everything's smudged afterwards.

I write with fountain pen almost all the time even though i'm a leftie. i write neater with it than with pencil or ballpoint pen' date=' but i hate it when everything's smudged afterwards.[/quote']

 

Yes - that's the problem!! It's extremely difficult to avoid that result.!!;)

Yes - that's the problem!! It's extremely difficult to avoid that result.!!;)

yep, especially if you're writing something very important, and the ink's drying so slowly, that you run out of ideas how to write on and not smudge what was written before...

I'm also a leftie......I like to write with a fountain pen.....but I found a new one some months ago....the writing looks exactly like written with a fountain pen and it doesn't smudge....:D

I'm also a leftie......I like to write with a fountain pen.....but I found a new one some months ago....the writing looks exactly like written with a fountain pen and it doesn't smudge....:D

 

Well good for you!:rolleyes:

I guess it must use some kind of quick-drying ink.

Well good for you!:rolleyes:

I guess it must use some kind of quick-drying ink.

or it's one of those who look like ballpoint pens....

or it's one of those who look like ballpoint pens....

 

What difference would that make??:confused:

What difference would that make??:confused:

they don't leave out so much ink and it dries faster. ;)

they don't leave out so much ink and it dries faster. ;)

 

Fair enough - but I think I'll stick to ballpoints!!:P

Fair enough - but I think I'll stick to ballpoints!!:P

as you wish! :)

as you wish! :)

 

However, you're entitled to your openion on the subject!!:P

However' date=' you're entitled to your o[i']pen[/i]ion on the subject!!:P

yeah i know that. don't think that i wanted to persuade you to use that pen :P

yeah i know that. don't think that i wanted to persuade you to use that pen :P

 

Too "write"!!:rolleyes:

Too "write"!!:rolleyes:

err.... "too "write"" ? Nope.

Writing with ballpoint pen is ok too.

 

 

 

(okay, I'm confused now)

err.... "too "write"" ? Nope.

Writing with ballpoint pen is ok too.

 

 

 

(okay, I'm confused now)

 

OK - duly noted!!:P

I used to write in fountain pen all the time during middle school. Didn't seem to make any difference to me *shrug*. Just really annoying/expensive to have to buy new cartridges every couple of weeks.

I used to write in fountain pen all the time during middle school. Didn't seem to make any difference to me *shrug*. Just really annoying/expensive to have to buy new cartridges every couple of weeks.

 

Is your surname "Penn", by any chance??:rolleyes: