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13 best stationery sets
Kit them out with everything they need for the new school term
Pencils, pens, notebooks and rubbers all start to look pretty tatty by the end of a school year, so what better time to refresh your stationery supplies with a whole new set to see you through the academic year ahead. Our round-up features something for every aged child, and for every budget.
1. Paperchase Bugs Stationery Set: £5, Paperchase
We love this bright and colourful bug-themed set, which includes a couple of pencils, a sharpener, eraser, ruler and pencil tin. It’s great for all ages – including adults, actually – and the contents are all really good quality. One to remember for a stocking filler later in the year, too.
2. Tinc Back to School Set: £20, John Lewis
Typical of Tinc’s vibrant and creative stationery offerings is this back to school set that contains a pen, rubber, ruler, pencils and erasers, all presented in a durable and fun case. Everything comes in the five Tinc brand colours – blue, pink, green, black and white.
3. Smiggle Camo Triple Pencil Case Set: £16.50, Smiggle
This Australian stationer is a firm favourite amongst children, thanks to its colourful, well-made and innovative stationery that make its shops a feast for young eyes. This kit is available in various patterns and includes a sharpener, rubber, ruler, two pencils, pens, coloured pencils and 18 coloured markers. The pencil case features useful straps and compartments to keep everything together.
4. Sports Direct Stationery Kit: £8, Sports Direct
This box is huge and contains everything that most kids need to start their new school term. There are pens (roller ball, handwriting and felt tips), pencils, sharpener, calculator, glue, eraser, stapler and staples, compass, ruler, rough book and pencil case. It’s not the best quality, but it’s fine for youngsters and it all comes in at less than a tenner.
5. Pukka Filing Bundle: £8, Pukka
This package is good for older kids who want to keep all their projects and homework neat and organised. It includes three bright stud wallets, an A4 display book with a whopping 30 pockets, an A4 file with six pockets and a pack of 25 punched pockets, as well as four gel pens. It’s comprehensive and good quality.
6. Star Wars Personalised Stationery Tin Set: £15, Tesco
Star Wars is all the rage, so this tin set – containing two pencils, two pens, eraser and ruler – is bound to go down a treat. It’s personalised with your child’s name too, so no chance of their school mates nabbing any of the contents for themselves.
7. Marks & Spencer Boutique Wooden Pencil Box with Pencils: £8, Marks & Spencer
This is really is “old-school.” The retro-looking pencil box will bring back memories for parents over a certain age and will charm little ones with its looks. The traditional sliding lid of the natural wooden box can be removed to be used as a ruler, and reveals 12 coloured pencils and sharpener.
8. Letteroom Personalised Wooden Art Box Set: £29.95, Not On The High Street
This contains a whopping 63 pieces of stationery, including coloured pencils, crayons, pastels, markers, paint, paintbrush, ruler, rubber and sharpener – in other words, everything for mini artists to get cracking with their very own masterpieces. It’s all presented in a smart wooden case, with handle, that you can personalise with name and initial.
9. Minions Bumper Stationery Set: £5, Sainsbury’s
The enduring appeal of Minions applies to most ages, which means children will love this bumper pack including a pencil case, notebook, eraser, sharpener, pen, ruler and colouring pencils. Both colourful and practical, it makes a great gift.
10. Tinc Geometric Gift Set: £20, Tinc
Available in a wide range of colours, this is a really well-made set that particularly impressed us with its inclusion of a water bottle – something every child should have in the classroom. It also contains a robust PVC pencil case, ballpoint pen, bag tag and key ring, all of which are child-focused in their design.
11. Very Personalised Pencil Case and Pencils: £14.99, Very
No chance of your child losing their stationery at school with this set. The zip-up pencil case – which is available in pink, red or blue – is clearly marked with their full name, while the colouring pencils and pencils are also personalised. There’s a sharpener and ruler thrown in too.
12. Kate Spade New York Tackle Box: £30, John Lewis
One for teens upwards, this clever set takes the theme of a fisherman’s tackle box and contains bow paperclips, bow magnets, ruled sticky notes, binder clips, tape, eraser, pencils and pencil sharpener – all designed in typical Kate Space style, with clean lines and graphic prints.
13. Bic Writing Set, 32 Pieces: £9, Tesco
This set has everything you need for maximum productivity at home or school, including ballpoint pens, pencils, highlighter, felt pens, eraser, correction pen, glue stick and more. A bargain for a huge number of handy items from a household name.
Verdict
Smiggle and Tinc are firm favourites among children and you can see why – everything is vibrant, novel, modern and really well-designed. We also love the Paperchase Bugs Stationery Set – a good one for all ages, even adults, and at a great price.