It is also feared a disproportionate number of prisoners are left-handed, with calls to research whether classroom struggles trigger a “downward spiral” in which pupils get low marks, their self-esteem drops and their future opportunities are damaged.
The government has stood firm on the national curriculum, despite campaigners asking for it to include a legal duty for left-handed pupils to receive specific teaching to meet their needs – something which is currently non-statutory guidance.
Education minister Nick Gibb, in a letter responding to concerns, said teachers need to ensure all pupils – including left-handers – receive “whatever specific support they require” to make progress and recognise which youngsters need extra help.
But handwriting experts and politicians believe there is a failure to recognise the difficulties encountered by left-handed youngsters which can hamper their development.
They believe many teachers are unaware about how to spot the signs while improvements to training would enable them to make simple but effective adjustments, such as a how a pupil holds a pen.
A Worcester-based alliance which has campaigned for more than 20 years and has involved – among others – MPs and Mark Stewart, who specialises in helping left-handed children improve their handwriting and offers training to teachers, has been left frustrated by a lack of progress in developing government data and teacher training.
