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

[AlternativelyWired]

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.

£5-20 is suggested for Christmas, end of year, or any teacher leaving was suggested as £3-10. Obviously only parents who are on the WhatsApp group so those who aren't don't contribute, and nobody knows if or how much individuals put in, just the total. There's apportionment on hours for part timers and something for the janitor. Cards are signed from the whole class, though some people do get extra gifts (earrings was the weirdest one I saw this year). I always vote for vouchers rather than gifts and would vote cash if anyone else did, they aren't our mates where we know what they want, so let them spend it on whatever they actually like or the gas bill.

It's in the OP's post
'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'

We do a collection but no fixed amount and no list of who donated.

Our school doesn't do this and we don't have WhatsApp groups for either of my kids classes. I spent about £4 per teacher for card and chocolates.

The individual classes do their own collections so the teacher gets vouchers instead of 30 boxes of chocolates & wine. There's no fixed amount and no list of who has contributed either, it's whatever you can afford. There is no compulsion to donate either & that's how it should be.

One Mum in my daughter's class asked for £20 each for presents for the teacher and the TA - about 20 parents joined in. I point blank refuse to get involved in this, which seems to have become the norm in our school. I can't stand the requests/boasts in the Whatsapp group and the way that some Mums feel obliged to join in, regardless of whether they can afford it and the feeling of having to keep up with other Mums. As a teacher I also can't stand the whole situation - I would be embarrassed to receive such an expensive gift, plus you are meant to declare it after a certain value. I love my handmade cards, chocolate, cacti etc.

Have to say my teens love the umpteen boxes of chocolates and candles and fight over them! I like the hand drawn pics and messages or the handshake and genuine ‘thank you’ I got from one father.

The parents at our school do this. Usually an Amazon voucher for me, which is tremendously helpful for household things that we need but can’t afford (finally got a laundry basket this week!), but honestly not necessary.

If people want to give something to say thank you, then a card with a message in it is something that I know all of my colleagues really treasure.

My favourite thing is getting cards from children or parents with a personal message. I've kept all of those. The chocolates and booze either get regifted or gobbled up. For me, the presents are a waste of parents' money and I feel so guilty. I'd never use a notebook or a mug that says 'worlds greatest teacher' on it, or something like that and the candles are never a smell I enjoy. So my preference is lovely little cards OR parents to club together for a voucher. It seems such a waste for everyone to spend £10 on generic end of year presents that go straight in the bin. I've never been in a school where parents do this but it seems so much more sensible. There'd never be any judgement about who contributed. Presents aren't an expectation, it's very sweet of families to do at the end of the year but I'd not be able to tell you which child didn't give me a gift last week.

In all honesty, I don't understand why teachers need end of year gifts? They are salaried employees. Do you all give thank you presents to your GP, nurse, midwives, bin men? I used to get sucked into all this and it was definitely a way for some mums to suck up to the teacher as they'd teach the child's younger sibling in a year or 2.

I prefer to donate money to the school directly and do this once a year. I make sure we make our teachers' lives as easy as possible by dc being 'good, hard working kids' and always speaking to the teacher politely or leaving them alone unless it's really important. No idea why teachers get £200.00 gift vouchers.

@VapingIsNotFine I agree. I find it embarrassing to receive gifts for doing my job. I have asked the school to request that parents don’t do it or perhaps organise a charitable donation but they are unwilling to upset the apple cart.

@VapingIsNotFine and I can’t remember who bought which gift by September so it doesn’t buy favour at all.

I don't contribute to the class collections, we had three this year as the teacher went off part way through the year on mat leave, so they did a collection for that too.

Whilst i really appreciate the teachers and what they do, they are paid to do it, and i spend a fortune at the school for trips, clubs, mufti days, donations for xmas fairs and summer fairs etc. I don't see why i should then basically tip the teachers for doing their job on top.

I think it puts pressure on people who can't afford it and then feel awful about it.

One of the Mums in our school arranged a collection for the teachers this Summer, suggested donation £10 but no pressure and not everyone joined in. I don't think I would bother contributing next time - she bought things I wouldn't have chosen.

We do a collection, it's always £5 per family and the card is from the year group as a whole, nobody is left off. Quite simply a large box of maltesers is £4.25 now and it's better value to club together for a present.

Didn’t even know this was a thing. It isn’t common in our area ….. yet

My sons school do this. His reception teacher got a new wardrobe of clothes donated to her. The teacher in the other class got the same value in gift cards. He goes to quite a ‘posh’ school.

His teacher this year got enough for a city break somewhere.

The gift giving is obscene.

I don’t contribute and they shouldn’t accept such large gifts.

His teachers get a thank you card from us, occasionally a bottle of wine.

agree @VapingIsNotFine
I've always thought it's a bit weird to do a present for teachers at the end of the school year; it's their job isn't it, why do they need gifts as a 'thank you'? I never bought gifts/cards for my DC to give to their teachers. If DC wanted to give them a card then they had the crafting materials to make one and there were a couple of teachers that received a nice gluey bit of stiff paper with some feathers/pom-poms stuck on it which I thought was sweet and the teachers seem to appreciate it. When a mum approached me to donate to the group of other mum's collecting for the teacher, I politely declined each time.

Wow those gifts are insane! Well that’s one way to teach the kids about kissing ass and materialism.

It’s not even personal. It’s just sheer kiss assery!

@ChocolateCakeYum your option sounds much more personal and lovely!

We have a class whatsapp and someone always offers to do a collection... No pressure to contribute and it is a whole class present, no names or lists! Gets split between class teachers and TAs. I like it as it saves me the trouble of sorting it myself & I like that they get one nice present rather than loads of tat. The school is in a wealthy area and my friends who teach in other places have been amazed at the £300+ which gets collected!

In all honesty, I don't understand why teachers need end of year gifts?

We don't! And we don't expect it.

None of the schools I have worked in did this but I was secondary. Possibly primary schools might do it more. I have sent in a few Amazon gift cards to a few of my children's teachers that have gone above and beyond.

That's an obscene amount of money!! Even for an independent school!

I teach in one of the most deprived schools in the uk, I always say not to get me anything but I know for a lot of our parents it's a pride thing and they really do appreciate all we do. This year I was inundated with gifts, lots of flowers and wine and chocs but the things i appreciate most are the words in the cards... the messages of thanks and appreciation especially those written by the 5 year olds I taught to read and write!

Imagine a single form entry school and the parents contributed £340 per class back to the school- (£2340...) That could be additional art materials, sports kit, books, plants and greening etc and make it a nicer place to work and a nicer place for the kids.

The teachers could get a lovely hand made card or picture.

To secondary teacher who said they got sod all, I was secondary teacher with Year 10 - Year 11 tutor group and I got some fab gifts, my favourite was a cheese board with 6 types of cheese, crackers and a bottle of champagne given to me by my Year 11 form group. They had all pitched in a few pounds and a couple of them told me it was from their own money not their parents who which made me smile. I got some gifts from kids I taught at GCSE and A level too. I got a lot of lovely cards too. I kept them all and when I was feeling burned by teaching I read through them and managed to keep going for 2 extra years before retiring at 56.