It's that stressful time of the year again..do you or don't you?!

[BooseysMom]

Xmas presents for school teachers, etc. DS is in Reception and i have bought small choc presents for his teacher and TA but also got the lunch time supervisors a box of chocs as they have a difficult job and are under appreciated. But then what about all the other staff..the care taker and secretary for e.g..where do you draw the line esp when on a budget?
So what do you do? Do you buy or not buy and for whom?
Thanks ..and happy Xmas all

A box of biscuits or cake to share goes down a storm in the staff room. Everyone is tired and the weather is grim and it cheers everyone to have a treat.
I love a card with kind words in, I had one yesterday thanking me that made my day!

We normally just buy a load of wine and send a bottle in per teacher/TA/Extracurricular Teacher

Teachers usually buy for non teaching staff so I just buy for the class teacher

Just to add- I'm married to a primary teacher - male not sure if that makes A difference but he is well liked by the parents and kids and he has never had more than maybe a dozen Christmas gifts working in three different schools so don't feel pressured that everyone buys teachers presents - they possibly do for infant school but he's never been bought much

4 children and never done my research than a card. Partly due to finances but also my sister who was a teacher ended up with masses of the same presents that she didn't want (but appreciated the thought).

A dozen per Christmas not in total! So it's less than half the class who bring a gift - he certainly doesn't notice who does or doesn't

Cadbury's Chocolate Fingers - Teacher Crack.

Teachers are paid a salary...if they want to buy themselves some tat they can afford to do so. All teachers I’ve spoken to would rather have a personalised note or card....or wine. Something they can easily re-gift.

Wow, thank you everyone for all your msgs! Such a lot of great ideas for gifts. Nice to hear from teachers too. I suddenly realised I had missed out a TA who is in DS's class in the afternoon. She ended up having some Bailey's truffles which was what I had left in reserve. So i've bought for his teacher and 2 TA's and the lunch time supervisors. Tbh I haven't spent much and the one TA ended up with a slightly better present than the teacher!! The care taker just had a card

I'm ready to don my tin hat here, but I think it's sad that secondary teachers (me!) don't get little token gifts in the same way that primary teachers do. There are many children whom I've gone out of my way to help and support this year and a cheap box of chocs or a bottle of wine or even a card would be really appreciated. I teach approx 140 kids and received 5 cards, some home made mince pies and a box of ferrero rocher, all of which were really appreciated because of the general non-gifting culture.

My DCs are still primary age but when they get to secondary I will definitely buy for any teachers with whom they have a special relationship.

I love the Christmas card that tells me the highlight of the pupil’s year.

I just contribute £5 and the class rep sorts it all out!

No teacher expects anything. If you are buying I would buy for the class teacher, any regular TAs in that class but would make them all really small presents.

We send a tin of sweets in with each DC. They can be shared out among staff as appropriate.

As a teacher, we get plenty of bottles of wine & boxes of chocolates, but I can honestly say I appreciate every single one! My stock room cupboard key has every Keyring I’ve ever been bought on, I have probably 100 pictures stuck in my stuck room that children have gifted. I’ve never ever binned a present from a child.

Dd2 and ds1's clsss have done a collection for the teachers and TA.
Ds2 is in pre school so I've got his key worker a bottle and chocs.
Dd1 is 14 and was horrified at the thought of get her form tutor anything.

£10 Amazon voucher for his teacher, choc orange for his TA who he does not like much and a nice box of biscuits for the staff staff room. End of year another £10 Amazon voucher and bottle of wine for TA. Also wine for teacher who runs after school trampolining club in summer term because she is his favourite.

Thankfully our class rep organises a collection for the teachers / TAs - £5 suggested but completely up to parents how much if anything they contribute. I've also bought a box of chocs for the office staff as I think they work really hard and have been extremely helpful every time I have a query

Wow chickoletta, In the schools I have taught at most High School teachers get little gifts from kids often in summer after exams. I taught Sixth Form and Year 11 for many years and I always got loads of gifts from both students I taught and my Tutor Group, especially in the summer. One year I got 6 bottles of wine all in one year. It was embarrassing as some staff eyed me suspiciously. I have also had flowers most years, countless boxes of Malteasers, chocolates and even a bottle of champagne and a nice cheese board when I left a school for a new job. I think sometimes each student has paid about 50p and one of them went out in their lunch times and got me something. I also tutor A level and have had some fab gifts ranging from flowers, an orchid in a posh pot, to a £100 cash bonus when the kid improved by 3 grades going from an E to a B grade from Xmas to the summer after 4 hours of solid tuition each week. Cards are always nice too and I used to have a display of them all along the wall behind my desk. Nothing is expected but you do feel appreciated especially if the students have bought it out of their own money too.

I don’t expect gifts, a card with a thank you in it would be lovely, but I don’t even expect that tbh. I wouldn’t eat any home cooked gifts i’m afraid, and neither would many of my colleagues. These would sadly go in the bin. Be better to save the time and effort. The kids could make a little card if you wanted. That would be enough.

I don't buy for any of them at all over Xmas.

I don’t do Christmas presents but when dd left last year to go to high school I gave the school £50 of amazon vouchers and they bought some new books for the school library.

No "great teacher" stuff and CERTAINLY no home made food gifts. No one wants to eat food that's been made by someone elses reception age child.

Chocolates or nice biscuits would be lovely.

I’m a lunchtime supervisor and I’m always delighted if I receive a present or card. We have a very different dynamic with the children in our care then they have with the teaching staff. A good lunchtime supervisor will know the children well, can tell if they are upset or out of sorts, can make sure everyone plays fairly at lunchtime and will sometimes have children divulge information that needs to be reported to the Safeguarding team.

It’s really lovely to be appreciated and considered to be part of the whole ‘team’ that cares for the children on a daily basis. We’re sometimes rather overlooked in the school hierarchy; in our school all staff have their photo on the website, including the cleaners, caretaker and kitchen staff. All staff that is, except for the lunchtime supervisors.

I'm on 4th DC at primary. Don't give anything other than a card at Xmas (from DC) and end of year. I ask if he wants to give anything at EOY and he has chosen something a few times.

Parent Rep knows not to ask me after getting short shrift in Reception after already having done 12 years of Primary schools. No longer willing to engage in obsequiously donating hundred of pounds to someone for doing their job.

I don't understand why this is allowed to go on. In any job I've worked in I have never been allowed to accept any gifts. Its not necessary.