MUST READ – Important information for schools

EYFS and Y1

The font for EYFS and Y1 is Sassoon Infant Standard. 

Y2-6

We chose Playwrite England SemiJoined (Y2) and Playwrite England Joined (Y3-6) because they give schools a clear, consistent and practical way to reinforce the handwriting taught through Ready Steady Handwrite. The fonts are free to use, easy for schools to access and, importantly, allow teachers to create their own worksheets, labels, displays and classroom resources using a style that closely matches the programme. This helps children see greater consistency between direct handwriting teaching and the print they encounter around the classroom.

No digital handwriting font is able to reproduce every handwritten movement and join perfectly, and there are a small number of exceptions within the Playwrite fonts. The letter q is the main example, as the digital font does not always create the join in the way we teach it in Ready Steady Handwrite. The f also has a slightly unusual join. These are very specific exceptions and do not affect the overall value of the font.

When teaching these letters, we recommend that teachers model the Ready Steady Handwrite formation and join explicitly and use the programme resources as the definitive reference. Children should always follow the taught handwriting model rather than copying an inaccurate digital join. The font is designed to support consistency across everyday classroom materials, while the Ready Steady Handwrite teaching materials show children exactly how each letter and join should be formed.

What should I do about the q?

If a word containing q appears in a typed resource and the join does not match the Ready Steady Handwrite model, simply draw attention to the correct join during teaching and model it by hand. For focused handwriting practice, use the Ready Steady Handwrite exemplification rather than relying on the typed version of q. Children will quickly learn that the handwritten model they are taught is the one they should use.

Overall, we believe the benefits of having a free, accessible and consistent font that schools can use independently far outweigh these small, manageable limitations. It gives schools flexibility while helping children experience a coherent handwriting approach across lessons, resources and the wider classroom environment.