to ask you not to buy Christmas presents for teachers.

[Crabapple99]

I have seen several threads on the topic, so want to give my point of view and experiences.

1. Many staff are not allowed to accept a gift above a certain value ( £3 in my school) so these big gifts, especially class gifts, leave staff in a very difficult situation, causing all sorts of paperwork and recording, and leaving us open to accusations of favouratitsm from families, and other allegations

1. Many staff don't want gifts, quite often the item is unwanted, even edibles, if the box is big, heavy, and we already have too much to eat over christams. It is also embarrassing to have to accept.

1. Many staff worry about the reason for the gift, especially if it seems some pupils and their parents feel pressure to keep up: I've been given gifts in the past that when I know the family can't afford even a couple of pounds, it makes me feel terrible. I've had gifts in the past which I suspected were stolen, which makes me feel worse.

1. I don't really think there is a problem with Christmas cards, but even then, as someone who could easiluy have 300 pupils on my timetable, even then that can get a bit overwelming, not to say meaningless.

1. A very small token, such as one of those tiney boxes from thornton's with just two chocolates in, is a nice way of acknoledging when a teacher has really gone above and beond, for your child, but even that is unnessesary rreally.

Hope I'm not coming across as a scrooge! I love christams, but dread this aspect of it.

Lol - I blame the , clam

I still think you are wonderful Feenie, and I'll woman the barricades with you anytime.

Must pop back to TES, haven't been on there in ages, the site doesn't work as well on the ol' iPhone.

troisgarcons, your council sounds even stricter than mine, a teacher could face a disiplinary for accepting anything with any resale value at all.

Please explain how the alcohol gifts work,those of you that say you give alcohol as children couldn't be in possession of it themselves. Do yu make an appointment or leave it at the front desk? I've never ever known a child give ateacher alcohol, and just don't see how it could be considerd even vagely legal any where.

am watching with interest....

I have been given wine. It's been handed over by the parent and child at the start of the day or the end of the day. Of course it is legal!

You've never known a child give a teacher alcohol? You are joking!

What happens is this;

You take you child to school. Shove them through the door, handing them their lunchbox, book bag and a bottle of wine in a presentation bag, with a card inside.

You go to collect child at end of the day. Teacher shoves child out of door, and probably says "Thanks for the wine. I'm going to really need a glass of that when I get home. "

Crabapple -

You're getting hung up on rules and regulations now.

It's Christmas - a time of giving and receiving. Not a time for throwing childrens' gifts in the bin. That's not nice.

It's one of the benefits of teaching primary.
You get to see the parents more often, and some of them bring wine.

It's illegal for a child to be sold alcohol but given that a child over 5 can be given a small amount of alcohol to actually drink with their parent's permission, how can it be illegal for a school age child to hand over a bottle of wine to their teacher which was bought by their parents?

And given that coursework marks are moderated, from a random selection chosen BY the moderators, even if teachers were favouring those who gave better Christmas presents then the moderators would soon pick up that children were being given marks that they weren't deserving, in which case the whole lot would probably be looked at. Unless the teachers are giving the moderators super-duper Christmas presents as well.

Saying 'London' and 'Manchester' makes me even less inclined to believe you to be honest crabapple99 - if you weren't talking out of your arse then I think you'd be more willing to specify which councils rather than giving a general area which encompasses many borough councils.

I think the advice from troisgarcons council is pretty vague - who decides what is a trivial gift? Even a calendar can have a resale value if you're quick at selling things - you could have a calendar on ebay and sold the following day and still with the buyer in time for the New Year

Flisspaps, I'm sure you know as well as I do that moderation can amount to nothing for years at a time, and anyway, I'm not saying that teachers would change their marks because of a christmas present, just that some parents expect them to, and other parents accuse them of having doen so.

Lunettescavo, I don't beleive you seriously send a child onto school premises in possesion of alcohol.

Erm....yes, I do, and so do many other parents.

As far as I'm aware there is no law to say children cannot carry a bottle of alcohol.

The school even serve alcohol and fund raising events with children present. Certain teachers have shown a fine ability to drink a glass of Chablis and face paint at the same time.

ah well, we're in Manchester - which school? certainly not the ones I have worked in or DH

crabapple - I have had gifts of alcohol from children lots (primary too) and so has DH

Most of our staff have been given wine or beer on occassion. But we are primary so there is little chance the children will open it in the cloakrooms and have a swig before handing it over.

I go in on Monday with 4 bottles of champagne with ds. We go to the teachers and hand them over with a handmade card. But, shock horror!...if one of them is not available, we leave the gift in the staff room. I would say 60/70% of the gifts at our school are booze to be honest.

cocnutty, it isn't a personal choice to dispose of the gifts, as I said, it's proffesionsl expectations, and you would br facing a disiplinry if you didn't. I actualyy think that is nicer than the guidance put on here from another poster's ouncil which was that all gifts have to be declined outright.

A child possessing alcohol on school premises is automatic grounds for exclusion.I'm not talking about adults possessing alcohol, although obviously in some circumstances teachers have also been suspended.

I love getting wine.
I can't think that secondary teachers get the same amount of presents. Mine wouldn't take them at that age and they had too many anyway. Primary is different, they love taking presents and they have a close relationship with one teacher. I would call £10 an expensive gift.

If I thought DS1 (5) could carry the wine without dropping it I would let him
As it is I will carry it to the door then give it to him to handover, he wants to give hi teachers presents I just try and 'guide' him towards something I think they'll like.

I have had bottles of wine as gifts handed directly to me by children - primary school age.

I have never heard of a gift 'bin'.

TBH - I am struggling to understand where you are coming from OP as it is clear from the majority of the posts on this thread that your experiences are 'unique'.

Oh and every year after reading about how few gifts secondary teachers get I vow to remember to send some in when my DC get there

Awwww, thanks, DustintheWind and Norfolk

Crabapple, so - so far not one single teacher anywhere has even heard of these dubious practices - strange............

"it isn't a personal choice to dispose of the gifts, as I said, it's proffesionsl expectations, and you would br facing a disiplinry if you didn't."

Absolute rubbish. I don't believe that at all.

Infact I think this is all one big rationalisation for your killjoy attitude to Christmas - making out their is someone standing over you with a a stick good grief!!