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Important update from TheSchoolRun

For the past 13 years, TheSchoolRun has been run by a small team of mums working from home, dedicated to providing quality educational resources to primary school parents. Unfortunately, rising supplier costs and falling revenue have made it impossible for us to continue operating, and we’ve had to make the difficult decision to close. The good news: We’ve arranged for another educational provider to take over many of our resources. These will be hosted on a new portal, where the content will be updated and expanded to support your child’s learning.

What this means for subscribers:

  • Your subscription is still active, and for now, you can keep using the website as normal — just log in with your usual details to access all our articles and resources*.
  • In a few months, all resources will move to the new portal. You’ll continue to have access there until your subscription ends. We’ll send you full details nearer the time.
  • As a thank you for your support, we’ll also be sending you 16 primary school eBooks (worth £108.84) to download and keep.

A few changes to be aware of:

  • The Learning Journey weekly email has ended, but your child’s plan will still be updated on your dashboard each Monday. Just log in to see the recommended worksheets.
  • The 11+ weekly emails have now ended. We sent you all the remaining emails in the series at the end of March — please check your inbox (and spam folder) if you haven’t seen them. You can also follow the full programme here: 11+ Learning Journey.

If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]. Thank you for being part of our journey it’s been a privilege to support your family’s learning.

*If you need to reset your password, it will still work as usual. Please check your spam folder if the reset email doesn’t appear in your inbox.

Video: Correcting pencil grip

Correcting pencil grip handwriting advice video
Does your child struggle to hold their pencil correctly? Our handwriting tips video offers expert advice on correcting pencil grip and establishing the ideal dynamic tripod grasp, with tips from the National Handwriting Association.



The dynamic tripod grasp is the ideal pencil grip for handwriting, as it allows children to write comfortably, fluently and at speed.

We offer advice from Occupational Paediatric Therapist Catherine Elsey from the National Handwriting Association to help you correct your child's hand and wrist position and develop a good tripod grasp.

When should you correct your child's pencil grasp?

Although the dynamic tripod pencil grasp is the most efficient way for your child to hold their pencil, many of us go through life with less-than-perfect pencil grips that, nevertheless, don't impact significantly on the way we write. So how can you tell whether your child's pencil grasp is causing problems? Warning signs to look out for include:
 

  • Your child complaining of a tired, uncomfortable or painful hand while writing
  • Forming letters that look spiky rather than well rounded
  • Struggling to keep letters uniform sizes, and on the line
  • Difficulty in writing fluently - this might be seen if they take longer than their classmates to complete written work

How to correct your child's pencil grasp

The dynamic tripod grasp is relatively simple to master, but correcting bad habits can take time. To hold their pencil correctly, your child should pinch it between thumb and forefinger slightly above where the sharpened nib meets the painted shaft, with the middle finger behind the pencil, acting like a shelf for the shaft to rest on. There should be a nice, round, open space between the pinched thumb and forefinger, and the ring and little fingers should be tucked into the palm. Try these tips for encouraging a good dynamic tripod grasp:
 

  • At home, provide short pencils and crayons, about 5cm long: this will force your child to hold the tool correctly.
  • Let your child practise mark-making on upright surfaces, such as an easel.
  • Take the pressure off writing, and work on your child's pencil grasp while they're drawing, colouring or playing games like Hangman or Noughts and Crosses.
  • Talk to your child's teacher about whether a handwriting aid, such as a pencil grasp, might help.
  • This simple trick will help your child to pick up their pencil correctly every time.