Writing on wall for the pen as keyboard and texting take over

The writing is on the wall for the art of calligraphy, according to a new survey of primary schoolteachers.

The findings confirm that, as a means of student communication, the pen is not as mighty as the keyboard, and the text message is mightier than both. But where earlier surveys raised concerns about the decline of literary skills, the study by the Irish National Teachers Organisation suggests handwriting itself is on the wane.

Of 100 teachers queried, 85 said the art of writing letters is dying out, with 60 suggesting their students never write a letter except in school. More surprisingly, 70 of the teachers questioned blamed the use of fill-in-the-blanks workbooks by schools as a factor in discouraging good penmanship.

The survey also suggests an age-related rift in teachers' attitudes to the importance of stylish handwriting, with only 5 per cent of the correspondents suggesting that younger teachers cared more about it than their older colleagues.

However, four in five said they still considered handwriting an important part of homework, and two-thirds would ask for a carelessly written piece to be redone.

A cautionary note for budding calligraphers who think they can get away with shoddy homework, provided it looks like the Book of Kells, is that most teachers believe the content is "far more important than the actual handwriting".

Other findings are that teachers devote an average of one hour a week to handwriting skills, and that children spend 1.5 hours a day writing, "far less than the time spent watching television". Also, inevitably, the survey concludes that girls are better than boys.

The study was carried out to coincide with the INTO/Educational Building Society handwriting competition, in which more than 100,000 students North and South of the Border took part.