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.
Handwriting aids: pens and pencils
Mastering good handwriting is a gradual process for every child, but for some, learning to write quickly, legibly and comfortably can be more of a challenge.
If your child struggles with their handwriting, a special ergonomic pen or pencil could help to make it easier.
Children should be provided with a variety of writing implements, and most will then independently choose the tool that best suits their needs.
 | EASYoriginal pen, STABILO, £6.99 Designed for children aged six and over, this handwriting pen has indentations for correct finger placement, and comes in right- and left-handed versions. It has a non-slip grip zone, and refillable, erasable blue ink which glides across the page for smooth, neat writing without blotting or scratching. |
| Handhugger handwriting pen, Berol, £14.99 for 12 An ergonomic version of the famous Berol handwriting pen, with a triangular barrel that provides three points of contact to help children adopt the dynamic tripod grip needed for good handwriting, and to reduce fatigue in handwriting tasks. Recommended for young children and those with physical grip difficulties. |  |
 | EASYgraph pencil, STABILO, £2.99 for two Available in right- and left-handed versions, these HB pencils have a triangular design and a non-slip grip to encourage a good hand position. The staggered grips along the length of the barrel means that children can continue to hold the pencil correctly, even when it’s sharpened. Colouring pencils are also available. |
| My First Handwriter, Nexus, £29.99 for 100 These triangular non-smudge pens have three surfaces to encourage a dynamic tripod grip. The fineliner type nib provides some sensory feedback through the texture of the nib on the paper. They’re useful for little hands, or older children who have difficulties with their pen grip. |  |
 | Triangular Trainer pencil, Nexus, £25 for 100 Mechanical pencils which train children to press more lightly on the page, which leads to more comfortable, fast and fluent writing. They’re ideal for children who press too hard, denting the paper or complaining of an aching hand. The triangular shape promotes an efficient dynamic tripod grasp. |
| Tran-Quill pen, pencil and crayon, ARK, US$39.99 This range is fantastic for providing high frequency vibration whilst writing, which encourages better attention and focus, especially for children who have difficulty knowing where their hands are moving in space. |  |
 | Scribolino twist pencil, Faber-Castell, £8.75 An ergonomic pencil with a triangular shape to encourage a dynamic tripod grip, and a sprung tip that acts as a shock absorber, so the hand is relaxed and comfortable. It’s especially designed for children’s hands and fingers. |
| Twist fountain pen, Pelikan, £9.95 This pen is shaped to fit comfortably in the hand, with a soft gripping zone that promotes relaxed handwriting. One pen is suitable for both right- and left-handers, and the blue ink is erasable. |  |
Michelle van Rooyen is a handwriting tutor in the London and Surrey areas. An occupational therapist with over 20 years' experience, she's a member of the National Handwriting Association.
