Large end of year teacher/Head teacher gifts

[Vigjilenca]

The end of academic year is upon us and PTA mums have started collecting money for end of year gifts. My son is doing Y1 and it's my second year of being shocked on the amount of money people raise for teachers at this CoE primary school. Usually, they raise the following sums converted in gift vouchers:

• Around £500 for a teacher
• £250 for TAs
• £2000 for Head teacher and assistant

This year mum are also collecting for a teacher who is leaving. I mean, I work at uni and whenever I change jobs, I get a vouchers from colleagues. I can't imagine asking students to contribute. This just feels wrong to me...

I partially agree, I'm happy to chip in to teacher and TA gifts and organise the collection myself.

I understand though that not everyone can afford and not everyone wants to.

One year though we gave a voucher to a teacher most of us hated, but I still did it, as it would have felt mean otherwise.

That's insane.

I'm a child of the 80s and the only teachers gift I remember was my Mum made my year 4 teacher who I loved, some peppermint creams. And told me to tell the teacher I hadn't helped make them :) I think the fact I often had a snotty nose may have had something to do with it.

I wouldn't be happy that such large amounts are expected for teachers, and I'd be bloody livid that I was expected to stump up for the headteacher, who in that location is going to be on a good six figure salary. Someone needs to get real here.

Making a massive assumption on the number of parents there, guessing collections are per year rather than per class where you are?! This is just one class, so about 22 or 23 families. And that's presuming everyone partakes which is never the case in my experience.

For some people even giving something small is genuinely difficult right now. Then you'll have those who do their own thing. Thought it was quite decent tbh 🤷🏼‍♀️

We came from a school with 30 kids per class (no siblings in the same class) and tbh didn't get a whole lot more.

I agree with this, and our class collects a few hundred for each teacher and TA at Christmas and end of year. Not for the head teacher though.

People put in what they want to, there’s no minimum amount at all and no pressure - one message in the group chat and that’s all. I’m on the pta and v aware of how cash strapped state school are, and teaches and TAs are doing a brilliant job

The class teacher and TA amounts sound quite similar to my DCs primary - also west London state. The collection happened twice a year, at Christmas and then end of summer term, and it got up to quite high figures as a fair few families would each put £50 in.

There wasn’t a collection for the head but I know she got individual gifts which were quite generous!

I know of a local school that has one collection pot and that is then split across all staff - teachers, TAs, caretakers, admin and lunch supervisors etc - which stops these huge amounts going to individual staff members.

Teachers and other classroom support is nice. Admin and headteacher seems a bit weird for me.

Bribery for what? First dibs on the good pencil sharpener? Renaming Pythagoras after wee Tommy Cuthbert? What benefit are they getting from a collective whip round?

We pay £10 per child split between the teacher and TA. That is it. People can opt in or out. These gift amounts are madness.

Gone mad op agree. My colleague wanted do girls birthdays (5 us we do school bus) then drivers. I said no. Where does it stop. I got few nice things off parents but your right gets madness

As a teacher I think this is absolutely nuts.
I cannot believe it is true!

I'm delighted with a box of chocolates.
A bottle of wine if you really want to push the boat out 😅
More than anything I really appreciate heartfelt thanks when parents have been happy with my work.

I would absolutely hate a 500 pound voucher and no headteacher would accept a gift worth 2,000.

2 teachers and 3 TAs for 30 kids would be an exceptional ratio where I am I assumed 60 kids because in every london school i can think of that is 2 classes worth of educators...

It was rampant at my son's primary school. It was a private school but even so it was ludicrous. His reception teacher was given so many vouchers she kitted out her wardrobe. His year 1 teacher was gifted a trip abroad. His year 6 teacher got the same and went to Italy for two weeks on the money raised.

I don't begrudge teachers having a nice holiday. I do begrudge being asked to contribute £200-300 towards it!

I gave a gift basket each year to the helpers and the support staff who always seemed to do more work anyway.

Teachers are massively underpaid and do a ton of hours outside their contracted hours. They spend their own money on supplies and genuinely love our children. I can’t imagine why I wouldn’t want to spend £50 on a present to say thank you.

@SalmonOnFinnCrisp so different depending on location huh! Experienced schools in Bristol and now Yorkshire and not unusual to have a main teacher, a regular second teacher who covers when the main one is off or training or doing another role in the school (for example senco), plus 2 or 3 PT TA's.

We have a separate gift round for teacher, TA, forest school teacher, dinner ladies and Caretaker!

I contribute £15 to the teacher and £5 to the TA. And zero to the rest since I don’t really think they go the extra mile, they just do their jobs (whereas we have brilliant TA and teacher).

Most people give at least £5 and I know some who give £20.

We do this at Christmas as well as end of year!

Its absolutely ridiculous, I think ppl just try and outdo each other every year. Last year my daughter was in year 6 and it was teacher gifts, TA gifts, head teacher leaving present.. Just glad both mine are in high school now where this doesn't seem to be a thing anymore.

Sorry to say that, but no, they are not spending anything on the supplies! We do run fundraising for so many small things and the yearly PTA fund objective is around 70-80k. I understand, in some areas teachers may be underpaid and I am grateful for their work, but £500 vouchers seem totally wrong to me.

Good grades, prizes. You’d be surprised, some parents are crazy

Blimey. £2k and a six week holiday. Ding ding ding.

Some teachers are. Some teachers are bringing food for children that aren’t fed in the morning. Surely it’s up to those who want to participate in a present? If you don’t, then don’t.

I always thought the point of these kind of gifts was for the child to learn about appreciating the people who help them.

Health professionals are not allowed to accept gifts as has been said on msny similar threads

Yet Bribery Act 2010 still in force. And where I work (not in education and not in the public sector) you can accept gifts up to the value of £50. And we don't have service users like parents who would get together to buy a big present that blows the limit.

It's quite embarrassing too.

Agree if they can raise that sort of money it would be better going to resources for the school. If it's a private school, give it to a charity.

School admin here- if any of our teachers received this they would be mortified.

Me on the other hand....!!