Teachers presents - class gift

You’ve said that you’re in a quite affluent area. Arguably, this is one of the demographics that has been hit the hardest by the cost of living crisis. I’m not for a moment suggesting that they are ‘worse off’ than others, but they’ve probably not had any of the support payments, an interest rate increase on a more expensive house will of course have a greater impact than on a less expensive house. It’s all relative and at a time when people are having to make cut backs, this might very well be one of the things that they decide they can’t afford.

@housethatbuiltme
"'They usually remark that they will do their own thing (they don’t!) but it’s an easy excuse.'

Lots of people do their own thing OP, it's pretty dismissive and disrespectful to assume that they don't. In all likelihood some do and some don't.

We always put from the class regardless who contributed. I would put a closing date for the collection in a couple of weeks. I tend to sort these things after I get paid ( at the end of the month).

The teacher SEES who's contributed and how much?

That's feckin' dreadful.

I think the whole class gift is a nice idea in theory only. In practice everyone has different ideas about how it should work and whether they want to be involved or even can afford to be involved.

I have never subscribed to the class gift idea and always opted out to do my own thing. I would not have been happy for my name to be included for a class gift that I hadn't contributed to.

I think if one person wants to buy a big card and get all the kids to sign it that's one thing but whole class joint gifts are cursed.

Not contributing is not 'opting out'.

'They usually remark that they will do their own thing (they don’t!) but it’s an easy excuse.'

yes a common thing people who don't have spare money and are being interrogated and bullied say.

This .

They haven't even started collecting at our school and there's no way they'd close it until a couple of days before term ends, so that's nearly another 3 weeks. Well done for doing the collection but you need to give people more time.

OK, so from my perspective
I am not a teacher who opens my presents in front of the class , I think that feels unkind to children who didn't get a gift and then feel guilty (although again and I know I sound like a broken record, they really shouldn't I don't want money wasted on me that could be spent on the children) or left out. So I wouldn't read out this is from x y z etc.
I do do a thank you letter though so if I get a class gift with a group of names I send individual thank yous for the same present, if it said from class x I would do a thank you to all families including any who hadn't contributed.

I'm mainly surprised they are allowed to accept anything other than a token gift. In many professions staff aren't allowed to receive gifts from either customers or suppliers due to bribery and corruption rules. In my work we have to refuse gifts over a certain value and smaller value gifts have to be handed in to HR who raffle them for charity. Maybe schools should do this to discourage this.

Why would class contributions get spent towards a gift for the one to one staff member?

I'd expect any teacher worth their salt to be aware of things like this.
And I would be really concerned about any teacher who would treat a child differently because their name wasn't on the Christmas gift.

Again when parents opt out and do not wish to be included, you cannot write their child’s name on the gift.

There's no point in doing a class gift if you're then going to write names and specify who's donated etc. If you're thinking about it on that level, it's also not fair for people who donated £5 to be the same as those who donated £20. You either do a class gift or you don't. You don't know everyone's financial situation, nice area or not.

There no harm in getting a card twice there is harm in singling out a possibly already vulnerable child though.

In the case I made above, the boy’s parents do not want to contribute. They have made that clear. They usually remark that they will do their own thing (they don’t!) but it’s an easy excuse. There is no way it would be right to include their boy’s name on a class card and gift when the parents object to getting the gift in the first place.

I've never known any teachers who expect a present. In my experience ( over 40 years of working in schools) they are simply touched and grateful if they do receive gifts

I’ve never known a teacher to say they have a no gifts policy.

Where I previously worked, we would receive multiple bottles of wine every Christmas. A decision was made to have a blanket ban on all gifts (as they could be misconstrued). In the same year it was introduced, gifts were not accepted. It is very easily done and implemented if gifts were really not wanted.

OK but what about the children that can't/don't?

Children whos parents don't have spare money?
Children who maybe have busy parents who never even thought to sit them down to make craft projects for a teach?
Children whose parents are depressed and struggling to even get them to school on time?
Children whose parents disagree with the concept morally?
Children who may even be neglected?

There no harm in getting a card twice there is harm in singling out a possibly already vulnerable child though.

I worked as a TA a couple years ago and got a multiple person gift like you're doing, the card was written from the children whose parents participated. The ones who didn't gave their own cards/presents and it would have been very awkward for me if I'd been left with the impression that they'd given twice. Just do the children that have paid, you don't know what the others are planning

I contributed to both my kids class collections (£40 total) and although we can afford it, I didn’t feel great about it. The teachers earn decent salaries, and it really gets my goat that the headteacher is included in the distribution pool. It shows horrible leadership, she should gracefully bow out and ensure the money is spent on the TAs who earn a pittance. Really makes me look at her in a different light knowing she accepts gifts from the collection. I am grateful to my children’s teachers, of course, but if anyone has gone above and beyond I would feel happy to write them a card saying so. That £40 would have been better spent on music lessons or something for my child, sorry but that’s how I feel. There is no place in schools in this day and age for teacher collections. But I’m not brave enough not to contribute when it’s the done thing 😂

Exactly, the teachers don't expect presents, it's added pressure from some of the parents onto other parents.

I've never known any teachers who expect a present. In my experience ( over 40 years of working in schools) they are simply touched and grateful if they do receive gifts.

Only the organiser knows how much and who has donated, it's always been done sensitively.

I think write only names of those contributing. If almost everyone did (over 2/3) I'd write from year 5. Whenever they're done here there is no stipulated amount - i organised once - one family gave £2, one £50. Most were around £10.

The school I was a governor at obviously couldn’t stop parents setting up their own WhatsApp group but the school stated they weren’t associated with any groups and no information would be provided directly to any groups (ie the group didn’t speak for the school).

I have only ever done xmas gifts once... it was my oldests reception year and it was just a little token gift bought in bulk but I got one for everyone my DS seemed to know.

The teachers didn't notice but the the dinner ladies where lovely and the lollypop lady cried because no one had given her a gift before.

Make me sad both mine and DH nanas worked as lollypop ladies for a while.

Not long after the council cancelled the lollypop service by the school and we never got to see her again. The dinner ladies are always super friendly to all the kids.