To ask school staff...

[munchbunch12]

Is your school allowing you to accept gifts from children this year? My DD (aged 5) has been attending throughout lockdown as I was designated as a keyworker, and her school has been great, as have the breakfast and after school clubs which have also run throughout, and I'd like to give them a token of our appreciation.

I was thinking of something along the lines of some tubs of Celebrations or Heroes, as the tubs could be wiped with anti-bac spray and they could be put away in a cupboard until September if they wanted, but no-where seems to be selling them at the moment (it seems they are just for Christmas), so I would end up buying the card cartons instead, which couldn't be sprayed, although of course the chocs inside would still be individually wrapped. I also considered tins of biscuits, as the outers could be sprayed, but thought that once the packets inside had been opened germs could spread. of course, guidance surrounding sharing food could have changed by September

What are your thought please, wise Munsnetters? Thanks

*Mumsnetters!!

Very kind of you to do this - but I have to say I’ve always been more touched by words. I received an email from one of my tutees parents which was v lovely and then also one from another one of my students parents.

Teachers have never needed gifts but even if you wanted to, you can’t... cards are always welcome though!

Hi, I’m a TA and this week I received a bottle of wine, a box of chocolates, and a voucher from the children in the pod I have been in. Totally unexpected, and I was very touched, as I previously wasn’t working with these children at all.
Anyway, no one seemed to suggest the gifts should be wiped down, and there was no suggestion from the head to not accept them.

Thank you @Moomooboo and @whateveryousay . It looks like different schools are doing different things. I will definitely send cards to school and breakfast club anyway, regardless of whether I send in gifts.

A letter to the head is always a good idea.

I've had tubs of chocolate from Tesco recently so you could try them.

My girls have made tie dye bags which will be given with a mini bottle prosecco and some chocs in. Normally we would make cake but not doing that this year. I did send in biscuits a few weeks ago but got penguins and viscounts as individually wrapped and they were very much appreciated

SLT in a primary school. Staff are ‘allowed’ to accept gifts. We have a box by the gate for them to be put in, we have offered to quarantine them for staff for a week. Or they can take them home and do it themselves.

Our school isn't accepting gifts. We had a message saying they would be delighted with an email to the teacher but not to send anything physical.

I'm wondering about DD's school. DD's teacher isnot allowed to give us her PE bag back, as nothing can come home from school. Although she is bringing a water bottle, coat and sun hat back and forth. I'm undecided whether to email the office and see what they say, or just give them to the teacher, who I doubt will refuse. (She feels the PE bag is a little over the top).

I may be being ignorant here but what is the difference between a teacher touching a bottle of wine/box of chocolates a parent or student has touched, and them buying touching a box/bottle that a shop worker has touched putting it on the shelf? I'm honestly not being goady, just don't understand why there is a blanket no gift rule in schools when the risk is no different to doing your own shopping - you wash your hands / sanitise afterwards - and that risk could be minimised by gifts being brought in a couple of days earlier to be quarantined if people were that worried about it?

My school is asking for no gifts. Reading between the lines I think they're aware that people are spending their money on such luxuries as food and rent.

I’m a teacher. I don’t think my school has a policy on this but if a child gave me a gift I’d say thank you very much and accept it! I personally wouldn’t be bothering with quarantining but people could if they wanted. I’d suggest wrapped chocolates/bottles and probably no home made biscuits etc this year. Gift vouchers can be sent electronically if that’s your thing - no good for sharing amongst staff of course. Staff don’t expect presents, but we are grateful when given them.

Now that made sense @KittyHawke80, I'd perhaps wrongly understood that some schools were saying no gifts because of contamination risks, which is what my post referred to. Great to take the pressure off parents from a financial perspective

I mean - I don't know. It may be that 'your' school genuinely doesn't want to wipe down bottles of vino with sanitizer, or whatever, on top of everything else. It may be nothing to do with financial pressure. But ours is quite a 'socially crunchy' area in which some kids will bring in a Paul Smith briefcase for their teacher (saw it with my own eyes) and others would struggle to find the money for a box of Matchmakers. I find it really, really upsetting and I'm glad that, this year at least, they're saying 'nah'.

Our primary school specifically asks not to give any gifts. But if you still want to give something, they ask for a small donation to a local children charity.

Thank you for your replies, everyone. It's certainly food for thought. I will ask the Head if they have a 'school position' on gifts this year.