How much is the contribution per family for teachers' end of year gifts at your school?

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I haven't really thought about this before in any depth. Sometimes the organiser has said £5, this year it was £10. The gifts are usually vouchers for John Lewis plus extra items like candles, beauty items, chocolates. This year £340 was collected for dividing between 2 teachers and 3 TAs on a pro rata type basis. Some families do their own thing and give money to the collection. There's usually a collection at Christmas too. Does every school do these collections twice a year? It's voluntary but then there's a list of those who have donated so anyone who can't afford it or doesn't want to join in is highlighted by their absence.

If I recall correctly it was £20 per family. We pay it in September and it covers Christmas gifts/class hampers and also end of year gifts.

I only have one child in school (year 2). There is generally a collection at Christmas and end of year for the class teacher and 2 x TAs. The suggested donation is £5 (total). Gifts in the past have been chocolates, wine, vouchers, etc. From a class of 30 the vast majority donate (and don't give individual gifts) but a handful don't - I imagine they possibly give their own gifts but I don't actually know as I'm not really in everyone's business. I've done the collection for the group gift a few times and have never ever disclosed who does or does not contribute. I write the card from everyone in class x (ie I don't specify those who have contributed and exclude those who haven't). It would be unnecessarily mean and quite frankly I can't be arsed writing out 25 kids names just to exclude a few that may well have very good reasons not to contribute (or not - again I don't really know their personal circumstances).

£5 per child here. I would prefer it to say ‘love from year 3’ or whatever but the mum who did the collection wrote the names of those that contributed. Since I don’t want to take over the collection I didn’t comment.

One or my DC was with a childminder once where the parents WhatsApp tried to get £30 a head of me I was 😮at that.

About £50 but that includes a teacher TV and we also contribute a percentage of what is raised towards the office staff, sports staff and premises manager.

TA not TV

We do it, but its what ever you can afford and we never highlight or make any parent feel bad for not wanting to or can't put money towards.

I gave £30 our class raise £700 that was split between teacher and TA

Normally ten quid. I have twins so I give £15.

State school here. We use an app that allows you to put a message for a card with or without a donation and the organisers are clear it's voluntary for the £. I give 10 at Christmas and 15 year end for each of my 3 children. Outcome is flowers and JL vouchers.

I did hear a rumour that one class got £800 plus I was aghast at that!

We do it and usually each class collects between £300- £400. No set amount, only the person who's collecting knows who gives what, no names on the card just love form your class, if anyone doesn't contribute for whatever reason they aren't left out and no one knows.
I usually give between £10 and £20 per child twice a year.

Ours do it this way but also proportion out funds to include support staff etc. in principle I like it but I hate the way they give teachers more than TAs etc- I’d rather it be equal. I generally put in £10 at the end of the year and I think £5 or £10 at Christmas and then that is split out across all staff so our teacher/TA doesn’t get it all. The gifts are always just from class x etc. I’d not like it at all if contributors were named.

My dd is in primary. The class rep does a collection but there's no set amount. I put in £20 (it gets split between two part time teachers and a TA). Can't remember what I put in at Christmas, probably the same. If I couldn't afford it though I'd have no shame in putting much less or nothing in. Gets split into vouchers and card just says from all the class parents. I'm a secondary teacher, i'd blooming love it if I was given vouchers!

Everyone just gets their own, last year we had an amazing teacher, senco and ta. I spent around £50. This year we had an awful teacher, rubbish new senco and ok ta. I got the ta a hand painted plaque for £3 and ds made a card.

We do it - no lists and people can contribute (usually via PayPal) what they want or can afford, and nothing if they can't. The gift is usually vouchers, and from the whole class, regardless of who contributed.

I think collections are fine because let's face it no-one wants 30 boxes of milk tray, best teacher mugs etc. So wasteful and it makes no sense to be allowed to receive £150 of bits but not same value in cash or vouchers.

Sn anonymous collection with a suggested maximum donation of £5 but set up in a way so people can also just give a pound or two if that's what they can afford.

We do £5. I just think gift vouchers are better than a load of the same old tat. My friend is a teacher and says although she appreciates home baked presents, she can’t bring herself to eat them as god knows what their standard of hygiene is.

Wow. I’m amazed by the responses of classes who are raising £100s to give to the teachers. I’m a teacher and at my school we aren’t allowed to accept any personal gifts at all. Partly for tax purposes and partly because the school say it could promotes favouritism for families who can give better gifts. We can accept communal gifts such as boxes of chocolates, biscuits etc to be shared between staff but even these have to be declared to the head teacher.

I’m on the receiving end of all this and quite honestly always feel utterly embarrassed accepting gift vouchers for large amounts.
I know some of the parents at my school can’t afford a few pounds let alone the £10 being asked for.
I gather it’s well meaning but I absolutely hate accepting the money, teaching is my job, a card from the children means so much more. I really do mean that.
At my previous school some parents got me chocolates/wine/ flowers etc which I appreciated but really expected nothing.
Hopefully one day this madness will stop, not only for the sake of some of the less well off parents but the teachers as well (believe me I’m not the only one who feels like this).

I find this sort of thing mystifying! 🤣 How do they organise it? How do they even begin to get a list of contact names and numbers for all the parents? Where do they "publish" a list?

@SmellyWellyWoo I think it's quite usual at primary school for there to be a WhatsApp group set up by the class parents, used throughout the year for reminders/party invites etc, then someone often offers to organise a collection for the teacher at the end of the year.

@Justfortherandomquestions really? I've never heard any mention of WhatsApp groups for classes at DD's school which is a big double class intake school. How do you go about getting people's numbers and names when schools don't give out that info?

Really? Whatsapp groups are the done thing these days. The school also gives out a class contact list to all parents.

How do you go about getting people's numbers and names when schools don't give out that info?

in our case, “hey, do you know if there’s a WhatsApp group for the class yet? No? Oh, I’ll start one then. What’s your number?” And inevitably a few people know each other to add already.

Nope. And not everyone goes to the school gates to pick up/drop off- lots of our school are at breakfast/after school club so you wouldn't necessarily meet all parents or even know who they are. There are so many parents/grandparents/older siblings in the playground, it's very hard to work out who's who.

I have an older child who went to a different school and they weren't a thing then but that was a few years ago.

The school won't give out class lists of names for data protection purposes. To be honest, I'd find a class WhatsApp group totally unnecessary and I'm glad we don't have one! We already get bombarded with hard copy letters, emails, app messages etc by the school, I'd find another form of communication overwhelming.

With party invites, few kids have full class parties so that isn't necessary.

We have WhatsApp groups and have done since my youngest was in nursery (moving to Y5 in September). We all club together for end of term gift and there is no minimum amount, I have given anything from £5 to £20. One year we had an awful teacher and I didn't contribute but bought gifts for the TA and support staff.