Back to School Stationery Guide 2026
There is something about a new school year that feels like a fresh start. New timetables, new subjects, new notebooks with every page still blank. The optimism of September is real - and the stationery you choose to start the year with is part of it.
This guide is for students who care about quality. Not the cheapest option in the supermarket aisle, but the things worth buying once and using properly - the notebook that earns a place on the desk, the pen that makes writing feel less like a chore, the tools that make the work feel worth doing.
The Notebook - The Most Important Decision
Everything else follows from this. A notebook you love opening every morning changes your relationship with the work inside it.
For students, a few things matter more than aesthetics:
It should open flat. A notebook that closes itself while you're trying to write, or that forces your hand into the gutter of the spine during a lecture, is a notebook you'll stop using. Sewn lay-flat binding - where the pages open fully flat at any point - solves this entirely.
The paper should handle any ink. Fountain pens, gel pens, rollerballs, fine-liners - whatever you write with, the paper should take it cleanly without bleed-through or feathering. 100gsm is the weight to look for.
The size should suit how you work. A5 is the most versatile student size - large enough to take proper notes, small enough to fit in any bag. For subjects that need more space - architecture, design, detailed diagrams - A4 gives you room to think.
Our lay-flat notebooks come in A5 blank and ruled, designed for exactly this kind of serious daily use.
Blank or ruled?
Ruled pages suit most note-taking - the lines keep writing legible under pressure and make it easier to scan back through later. Blank pages suit visual thinkers, people who draw diagrams, and anyone whose notes tend to go in more than one direction at once. If you're unsure, ruled is the safer starting point.
The Pen - More Important Than You Think
Most students write with whatever is to hand. A biro from a drawer, a pen borrowed and never returned. It works, technically. But a pen you actually love writing with changes the experience of sitting down to work.
For everyday note-taking: a good gel pen or rollerball - smooth, consistent, reliable. The kind that works on the first stroke every time, doesn't blob or skip, and feels comfortable in the hand during a two-hour lecture.
For the committed note-taker: a fountain pen. The Kaweco Sport is the one to start with - compact enough for a pencil case, beautifully made, and a genuine pleasure to write with once you adjust to it. The writing experience is different enough from a biro that it makes note-taking feel like something worth doing properly.
For sketching, diagrams and annotation: a good set of pencils, properly graded. Our luxury pencil sets cover everything from light annotation to detailed technical drawing.
Pack at least two pens. Pens disappear in libraries.
The Pencil Case - Where Everything Lives
A pencil case that holds everything you need without being a archaeology project every time you open it is worth finding. Look for something with enough structure to protect the contents - a good pen rattling loose at the bottom of a bag will be damaged within a week - but not so rigid that it takes up unnecessary space.
A zip pouch in a durable fabric, with a flat base and enough depth for a few pens and a small ruler, is the most practical format for most students.
The Planner - For Students Who Need to Stay Organised
Assignment deadlines, reading lists, seminars, part-time work, everything else - university and sixth form life involves more scheduling than most people anticipate, and keeping it all in one place is genuinely useful.
A weekly planner - one page or spread per week, with space for both time-based commitments and a running task list - suits most students. The advantage of a physical planner over a phone calendar is that the act of writing something down encodes it differently in memory. Students who write their deadlines by hand remember them better than those who tap them into an app.
Our weekly planners are undated - which means you can start them in September, take a break in December, and pick up again in January without any wasted pages or guilty blank weeks.
The Writing Set - For Staying in Touch
This one is slightly different from the rest - less about studying, more about the other part of going back to school or university. Being away from home. Missing people. Wanting to stay in touch properly.
A letter writing set - beautiful paper, matching envelopes, everything needed to sit down and write to someone - is the back to school purchase most students don't think to make and most parents would love to receive the results of.
Our writing sets make a beautiful addition to a back to school kit, and an even better gift for someone heading off to university for the first time.
Building Your Back to School Kit
A practical starting point for most students:
The essentials: Lay-flat ruled notebook - A5 - for daily notes Two reliable pens - gel or rollerball A pencil case with enough structure to protect them Weekly undated planner for deadlines and commitments
The upgrade: Add a fountain pen for the writing you want to do properly Add a blank notebook for sketching, brainstorming or journalling alongside the ruled one Add a writing set for staying in touch with the people you'll miss
The gift: If you're putting together a back to school gift for someone heading to university, a lay-flat notebook paired with a Kaweco fountain pen and a writing set is a complete, considered present that covers everything - the work and the life around it.
Browse our full range at katieleamon.com.
Everything at Katie Leamon is designed in our North London studio, made in England on sustainably sourced materials, and completely plastic-free.