If you're a teacher, what would you want the parents to get you for Christmas?

[chickpea1982]

I'm in charge of buying a group present for my child's teacher this year. If you are a teacher, what would you want to receive? We've got a few hundred pounds to spend. I'm thinking vouchers, so she can buy herself something she actually wants. Or would it spoil it to just ask her want she wants? Any suggestions would be gratefully received.

Exactly - it is a much more efficient use of the money people will spend anyway.

Although I myself would not mind 25 boxes of maltesers if we're being honest.

Oh sweet Jaysus!!!! Another one!!!

Teaching with you lot would make ME nauseous!

Do an Amazon voucher. Can it hide the value until they add to the account. Id feel really bad about accepting that much if I could see when I was given it :D

Someone did this the year before last for my DD’s Teacher. They collected over £250! (She was an amazing Teacher though & the children adored her)

They spent half on a JL voucher then they donated the rest in her name to an animal charity as the teacher loved cats & dogs apparently and often talked about this to the children.

Depends on the TA. Could be one of those bloody TA's who think they run the place.....

In that case they can get in the feckin sea.

NHS staff not supposed to accept ANY gifts…box of quality street maybe but certainly not hundreds of pounds worth of vouchers!

Honestly? I'd like your kid to turn up with a pen pencil and ruler. And ideally a calculator and a hair bobble if they have long hair.
And if you wanted to throw me 200 glue sticks, I'd be very happy!

Chocolate
Biscuits
A fancy mug
Costa voucher
Lovely smelling flowers that are cat friendly

Reception kids here and the class reps suggested £5-10 per child. With 29 in the class, it goes a long way….but the teachers are bloody saints and deserve every penny for coping with 29 4-5 year olds!! Our class has bought JL vouchers too.

In reality it is generally fine. None of my teacher friends or I have never been told we can’t accept vouchers like this.

I would go with vouchers and a nice bunch of flowers or bottle of fizz with it.

I'd say an Amazon Voucher is a good idea. John Lewis is lovely but it's a lot of money to spend on random stuff. I would struggle to spend a few hundred pounds at John Lewis. A new microwave or an airfryer would only be £100-£200. Even replacing some old bedding and towels or an old appliance, unless she is obsessed with appliances being replaced every year or something, she's unlikely to want to spend that much. Maybe do John Lewis or another more special shop for £100 and then Amazon. I also like the point of whether there is anyone else like TAs, dinner supervisors, caretakers etc who maybe have a more background, but equally important role with the kids, who might like something.

I'm a teacher and was given £200 last year in vouchers (v generous & v much appreciated). You can't go wrong with M&S vouchers.

Also has she got any hobbies that might warrant a voucher? Are the kids big enough to know anything about her free time? I mean if it were me £100 at Hobbycraft would go far easier than £100 at John Lewis? Do you have a "County Supplies" that would do things for the classroom? My mum was a primary teacher and I remember going to our County Supplies for stuff she'd pay for out of her own money e.g. big roles of backing paper, toys for the play corner etc. Obviously get her some stuff for her too, but teachers often spend £100s on extra stuff for school.

Risky as so many boycott over their trans stance.

But if you break it down per child it's likely less than £10 so what's your point?

OP, I'd also go with something like a JL voucher.

I agree with those saying this is a huge amount of money for a teacher's gift and I'd be questioning whether everyone who donated was actually happy about it (unless it's a fancy private school or in a wealthy area I suppose).

I'd do a (smaller) voucher and a donation to a children's/ educational charity... and next year, try to encourage something a bit less extravagant.

£10 might not be a lot to you, but in the average state school, amongst those 30 kids will be some who are on benefits or even in poverty.

It is a lot of money for a teacher's gift and if they've ended up with hundreds of pounds, I'd definitely be concerned that there was some kind of pressure to give.

In reality though it’s fine.
Tbh I would appreciate a voucher more than 30 gifts. (Cards always welcome of course!)

@PastaAndProse I will try to simplify my point just for you,

If the gift is given as one gift as opposed to 30 separate gifts then it might ( depending on the schools internal policy) mean that the Teacher cannot accept it.

Schools that are part of an academy trust tend to have gift policies. You have to decline the gift and then report it to the trust,

Yes it is usually written in the policy. But in reality, in all the schools I’ve worked in, we’ve always been allowed to keep the vouchers and gifts.

In our Scottish local authority teachers are not allowed to accept gifts and parents are discouraged from doing anything individually, even small, due to efforts to cut down the cost of the school day.

Teachers ask for cards with nice messages that they will treasure. I normally slip an origami book mark in the card. Home made. One of the corner ones.

On the rare occasions we've had a collection for a special event/teacher the teacher has chosen a charity to receive the collection and gift made to the charity in their honour.

Personally I would like M&S vouchers, flowers, nice coffee, chocolates (if any of my pupils are reading 😉)

🎶On the first day of Christmas, the parents bought for me,
A cartridge for the printer!

2 working pens
3 staplers
4 sellotapes

5 whiteboard pens 🎵

6 packs of pencils
7 boxes of tissues
8 packs of felt tips
9 pencil sharpeners
10 phonics readers
11 new erasers
12 packs of glue sticks 🎶

Not a card of thanks to place in your portfolio to show Ofsted, as you want the families to spend their budget on themselves not on <checks notes> M and S vouchers, flowers, nice coffee, chocolates?

What is a portfolio to show Ofsted?