So many schools are still using the outdated concept of children being awarded a ‘pen license’ in their later years of primary school, and then being allowed to write in pen. This practise is often accompanied by certificates and clapping and other fanfare. Children who live with coordination delays such as Developmental Coordination Delay (dyspraxia) and hyper mobility often find writing challenging, and can therefore never achieve this unrealistic goal. Other conditions include autism spectrum conditions, ADHD, dyslexia, disgraphia among many other ‘common’ childhood conditions. This means that these children are left feeling inadequate, and left with a lasting lack of confidence about their ability to write. 
The reality is that children with such conditions often find it easier to write in pen than pencil, as less force is required and there are a wide range of specialist pens available to support their writing legibility. 
We would love to see this discriminatory practice banned in uk schools, and replaced with a focus on supporting struggling writers.