Using Sketchbooks in Primary Schools: Trusting the Process

Sketchbooks are present in most primary schools and yet they remain one of the most misunderstood tools in Art & Design.

According to the Department for Education’s National Curriculum for Art & Design, “pupils should be taught to create sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas.” This statutory guidance emphasises not just what pupils record, but the ongoing value of sketchbooks as a space for thinking, experimenting, and developing ideas.

The curriculum also states that high-quality art and design education should “engage, inspire and challenge pupils… to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design.” Using sketchbooks as artists do - with freedom, risk-taking, and reflection -directly supports this aim.

But many schools feel unsure about how to implement sketchbooks effectively. As a result, they can often sit half empty, with learning outcomes stuck neatly inside the front cover. In some cases, sketchbooks are marked by teachers, or used mainly as places to stick in finished pieces of work. While all of this comes from good intentions, it can strip sketchbooks of their real purpose and their power!

Sketchbooks are not meant to document perfection.

They are meant to support thinking.

What Sketchbooks Are Really For

AccessArt has long championed the role of sketchbooks as tools for creativity, not presentation. As Paula Briggs, co-founder and director of AccessArt, explains:

“One of the ways many adults develop their creativity is through the use of sketchbooks, and we see that in schools where sketchbook use thrives, creativity thrives too.”

Sketchbooks, when used as artists use them, provide space for exploration, uncertainty, and discovery. They allow children to think visually, try things out, and change their minds.

AccessArt describes this power clearly:

“Sketchbooks provide the space for children to play, explore, try, and wonder. They also provide a safe space in which to fail, struggle and get lost, all of which bring growth in vital skills.”

This sense of safety is crucial. Without it, children quickly become cautious, worried about doing the “wrong” thing, or producing something that doesn’t meet an imagined standard.

The Fear of Getting It Wrong

One of the most striking things I have noticed when pupils are first given real freedom with a sketchbook is how many questions they ask: Is it okay to turn the page? Can I use pen? Can I do this? Can I try that?

Many children are genuinely anxious about making mistakes. They rub out, scribble over, or even score through work they feel unhappy with, erasing evidence of something that didn’t quite work. And yet, that very “mistake” could be the starting point for progress, if viewed through questions such as:

• What don’t I like about this?

• Why isn’t it working?

• What could I try next?

• How can I change it?

  
  

When sketchbooks are treated as places where everything must look right, children lose the opportunity to learn how to improve.

Ownership, Choice, and Confidence

Used well, sketchbooks offer something far more powerful than a record of work - they offer ownership.

When children are trusted to make choices in their sketchbooks, they begin to take responsibility for their learning. They become more confident in trying ideas, reflecting on outcomes, and deciding what to do next.

As AccessArt explains:

“When used well, sketchbooks allow children to go on their own journeys, and make their own choices about what and how they explore, and so build confidence.”

This confidence doesn’t come from being told what to draw, it grows from being allowed to explore.

Keeping Sketchbooks Alive

Sketchbooks should feel active and purposeful, not static or precious. AccessArt stresses the importance of momentum:

“Sketchbook use will drive projects forwards and help all children understand their own learning.”

They also warn against practices that drain sketchbooks of energy:

“Pupils (and teachers) should therefore be discouraged from working in a single sketchbook which lasts a year or even longer. Instead sketchbooks should be filled with energy, enthusiasm and momentum.”

Letting go of control can feel uncomfortable but it’s essential if sketchbooks are to function as creative tools rather than evidence folders.

The Power of Trust

When a child is truly trusted with a sketchbook something shifts. The sketchbook becomes a place where ideas can grow, where mistakes are useful, and where thinking is visible. It becomes a space for observational drawing, testing materials, layering ideas, and following curiosity.

When children are encouraged to use sketchbooks as artists do, they begin to see themselves differently. Not as pupils completing a task, but as creative thinkers on a journey.

And that trust, combined with permission to explore, is where confidence, creativity, and meaningful learning really begin.

Explore the Sketchbook as an Artist Project

This project supports teachers to use sketchbooks with confidence and purpose. Pupils learn to explore ideas, experiment, reflect, and develop their thinking through practical, process-led sketchbook work, helping sketchbooks become active tools for learning rather than finished outcomes.

Find out more