Handwriting styles in Australia, state by state

Australia doesn’t have one school handwriting style. A child in Sydney learns slightly different letter shapes from a child in Melbourne or Hobart, and families who move interstate often notice it straight away. Here are the handwriting styles in Australia, state by state, what they have in common, and how to help your child at home whichever one their school teaches.

Why there’s more than one style

The Australian Curriculum sets out what children should be able to do with handwriting in each year: form their letters in Prep (Foundation), write unjoined letters in Years 1 and 2, and start joining in Year 3. It doesn’t name a style. Each state and territory, and often each school, decides which letter shapes to teach.

So the shapes differ in small ways: how a k is made, whether a letter ends with a little flick, how much the writing slopes. The skills underneath are the same everywhere.

Handwriting styles by state and territory

Here is what we found on official pages. Where we couldn’t find an official source, we say so, because a font seller’s website isn’t the same as a department’s advice.

Last checked 17 October 2026. Nothing we read makes any style compulsory by law. Schools follow their state’s guidance, and some choose their own, so your child’s teacher is the best person to ask.

NSW Foundation Style

NSW is the clearest. The NSW English syllabus names the style: in Kindergarten, children “form all handwritten letters in NSW Foundation Style when given a verbal prompt from the correct starting point and continue in the correct direction”. In Years 1 and 2 they “form all letters with consistent size and slope in NSW Foundation Style from memory”, and in Years 3 and 4 they “sustain the NSW Foundation Style cursive”. The NSW Department’s guide for parents says simply: “In New South Wales public schools, students learn to use the NSW Foundation Style writing font.”

Victorian Modern Cursive

Victorian Modern Cursive is the style the Victorian Department of Education provides models and fonts for, and most Victorian schools teach it. Children start with separate letters, many finishing with a small exit flick, and those flicks later become the joins. A Department-style guide calls it “a foundation style which can readily be personalised as it is built upon and adapted by the developing writer”. Our guide to Victorian Modern Cursive at home explains posture, grip and letter families.

Queensland

A Department handwriting package described on a Queensland state school website includes “the Beginner’s Alphabet (QBeginners) font and the Queensland Modern Cursive (QCursive) font”. That page dates from 2020, and the current 2026 curriculum framework doesn’t name a style, so check with your child’s school which letters it teaches.

Tasmania

Tasmania has its own. The Department for Education, Children and Young People publishes the Tasmanian Handwriting Guidelines, which help teachers “understand the reasons for adopting the Tasmanian handwriting style”. The guidelines include a beginner’s alphabet and a cursive alphabet, plus advice on teaching numerals, posture and pencil grip.

South Australia, WA, the NT and the ACT

We couldn’t find a current department page that names one style for these four. Schools in these places may use different styles, so the school is the place to ask. Ask your child’s teacher for the alphabet they use, and copy that at home.

What every style has in common

The differences between styles are small next to what they share. Whatever your child’s school teaches, these habits matter most:

• Start in the right place. The Australian Curriculum’s example for Prep is “following clear demonstrations of how to construct each letter; for example, where to start and in which direction to write”. Most letters start at the top.
• Keep letters a consistent size. Tall letters, short letters and letters with tails sit in their own spaces, so writing is easy to read.
• A comfortable grip. The curriculum talks about “developing a functional pencil grip/grasp” in Prep. See pencil grip by age for what’s typical.
• Joining from Year 3. Every state moves from separate letters to joined writing around Year 3. Our guide to when kids learn cursive has the year-by-year detail.

Moving interstate with a young writer

A change of state can mean a change of style, and that can feel unsettling for a six- or seven-year-old. A few things help:

1. Tell the new teacher. Let them know which style your child learnt, so they can decide how much to change and how quickly.
2. Change a few letters at a time. Often only some letters differ. Pick the two or three that look most different and practise those.
3. Keep the good habits. Starting points, size and a relaxed grip carry over to any style. They matter more than a perfect match.
4. Go easy. Short, positive practice works better than correcting every letter. Praise what your child does well.

Free handwriting fonts and sheets

Several departments share their style. The Victorian Department of Education offers a Victorian Modern Cursive font download on its schools website. The NSW Department’s English K–6 resources include “NSW Foundation Style handwriting samples, including precursive and cursive script, as a guide to model letter formations”. Tasmania’s guidelines include the Tasmanian letter sets.

KidStudy’s worksheet maker and Trace page use Victorian Modern Cursive only, so they suit Victorian families best. If your child learns another style, they’re still useful for starting points, letter size and a calm practice routine, but follow the school’s letter shapes. Left-handed writers can turn on a left-handed option; see how to teach a left-handed child to write.

Questions parents ask

What handwriting style do Australian schools teach?

It depends on the state, and sometimes the school. NSW teaches NSW Foundation Style, Victoria’s Department provides Victorian Modern Cursive, Queensland has had its Beginners Alphabet and Queensland Modern Cursive, and Tasmania has its own Tasmanian style. Elsewhere, ask your child’s school.

Which states use Victorian Modern Cursive?

Victoria’s Department of Education provides it, and most Victorian schools teach it. Some schools in other states may use it too, but we couldn’t find official advice naming it outside Victoria, so check with your child’s school.

What is NSW Foundation Style?

It’s the handwriting style in the NSW English syllabus. Children learn it as separate letters in Kindergarten to Year 2, with consistent size and slope, and move on to NSW Foundation Style cursive in Years 3 and 4.

What handwriting do Queensland schools teach?

A Department package has included the Queensland Beginners Alphabet and Queensland Modern Cursive. The current curriculum framework doesn’t name a style, so ask your child’s school which one it uses.

What happens to my child’s handwriting if we move interstate?

Tell the new teacher which style your child learnt. Usually only a few letters differ, so practise those a few at a time, and keep the habits every style shares: good starting points, even letter sizes and a relaxed grip.

Is any handwriting style compulsory in Australia?

Not by law, in the official documents we read. NSW writes its style into its syllabus, and other states provide or recommend a style. Schools follow that guidance, so your child’s teacher can tell you what they use.

Sources

• English K–10 Syllabus: Early Stage 1, handwriting, NSW Education Standards Authority
• English K–10 Syllabus: Stage 1, handwriting, NSW Education Standards Authority
• English K–10 Syllabus: Stage 2, handwriting, NSW Education Standards Authority
• Handwriting in the early years: a guide for parents, NSW Department of Education
• Other English K–6 resources, NSW Department of Education
• Teaching materials and methods: handwriting fonts, Victorian Department of Education
• Parent resources: QCursive, Wamuran State School, Queensland Department of Education
• Tasmanian Handwriting Guidelines, Department for Education, Children and Young People, Tasmania
• English: Year 3, Australian Curriculum (ACARA)