Teacher gifts for £5 each- is it possible?

[Annahh]

If there's a thread on teacher gifts please point me that way!

DC's school have had a bit of restructuring and so now has 5 (yes 5) teachers. All input equally (2 are TA's but full time).

We also use after school hub most weeks, there are another 3 staff, again they seem to share the role equally.

That's 8 ladies to buy for, £40 if I can limit it to £5 each.

Their card will have a little message from dc but dc desperate to give a gift like all the other kids are...

Any ideas welcome 🤗

I'm in a similar position where ds has 4 teachers as his main teacher is off sick. He has a TA too, and then my other son's teacher. So I'm looking at 6 gifts.

My school keep going on about budgets and "not having money to buy paper to print things on" so I was debating buying an Amazon voucher, with the intention of it being used for school supplies?
I wasn't sure whether to gift this to the school, or separate ones for each teacher. Or if it's a bit silly.

Ideally I would like if each class (or the whole school) could set up a wish list on Amazon and link parents to it so they can buy from it but it seems a bit late in the day to suggest that to anyone. Maybe next year.

My kids will be giving a hand made card with a nice message in to each teacher too.

£5 costa cards or £3.50 M+S Bucks Fizz or a Lindt chocolate reindeer/small poinsettia

I’m very sorry to hear that. But that wasn’t explained in your post and it appeared to be a very random comment.

I took my youngest dd to the garden centre and she picked out a Christmas bauble for each one.

Please not costa cards! it is so distressing

Time and time again teachers come on mumsnet and say the heartfelt personal message in a card is way more appreciated than any gift.

But a box of biscuits or tub of chocolates for the staffroom if you want. Posh m&s chocolate coated biscuits if you're feeling flush!

Christmas bauble £2 each

Can you club together with other parents? We do this via the class WhatsApp group. Everyone puts in what they want to / can afford, and vouchers are bought for the teachers, so they can get what they like. There’s always a debate o et what vouchers, mind!

We rarely buy for teachers but if we do it’s a big tub of celebrations with a note saying to share between all teachers and TAs. This is because last year I asked dd how many teachers and TAs she had. It went from 2 to 5 to 7 to 4 in the space of 10 minutes as she can’t remember. I was like ok never mind 😂

Exactly - I do not want gifts from students. I dont drink. I dont eat sweet things. I dont use perfumed toiletries. I dont have a car and have to transport everything by bus or bike. Many schools don't allow staff to keep gifts anyway, they have to be thrown away or donated to PTA raffle. AND if staff do accept gifts, they have to declare them and pay tax on them, so it is a lot more trouble than it is worth

Please, just a nice card, hand made it wonderful, and a personal message

Or even an email

Please don't buy the teachers or TAs gifts. I'm a teacher and while it is a lovely thought, it normalises the expectation of seasonal gifts for staff among parents and children at a time when many can't afford to do this. I teach in an area of high deprivation and where few pupils celebrate Christmas, so we receive few gifts but are absolutely fine 😁 and totally feel the love of our pupils and their families.

If you do feel a need to express gratitude, some of the cutest things I've received have been home made:
a simple beaded charm for my lanyard (8 random beads threaded on a piece of wire)
a hama-bead coaster
a jar of a condiment
a Fimo, or similar modelling resin, key ring charm
a cartoon drawn by a pupil with me as a superhero

The majority of teachers and TA’s give gifts to charity shops or raffles. Every January charity shops are filled with Best Teacher and Best Teaching Assistant mugs, teddy bears, plaques… They will get loads of hand creams, alcohol and cheap chocolates.
As for homemade stuff I would be surprised if 1 in 10 are prepared to eat it.

If you can afford to instead of buying unwanted items then next time you go shopping buy an extra item or two for the Food Bank collection or if they do it a couple of sachets of food for the animal rescue collection. That’s something that can help someone. Meanwhile check all your child’s belongings are correctly labelled now that would be of great help to school staff.

As a teacher myself I say don’t bother! They’re not going to be offended.

In a classroom full of candles and gifts, last year my son gave his teacher a bag of jelly babies, other gave a box of malteasers and a best teacher bauble from the pound shop (wasn’t tacky looking) and the teachers were great as always and told them they were thrilled! Office staff we gave a giant bar of cadburys and a little thank you plaque (again pound shop)

I'm a teacher and I promise you the best gift is a card with a lovely message and an email to my headteacher about me.
We honestly don't want people spending money on us especially this year with COL

I did £5 m&s cards last year as they can put towards something bigger or a treat from the food section.

How many best teacher baubles and plaques do you think they get every year? Loads. It’s just stuff nobody needs. Just give a card. Teachers really don’t need anymore best teacher anything. They are inundated with it.

A Lidl prosecco if you think they drink if not then a lovley bubble bath each or a box of chocs or a coffee shop gift card

Make a Christmas decoration like the ones on Instagram by Lauren McDermott and the White Company. They look lovely but are cheap to make. No idea how to link I'm afraid.

Just don't put 'best teacher' on it. Spray with a Christmas scent.

Wow thanks so much everyone- some great ideas!

Interesting to see different views from all angles.

Our class don't do a group collection, mums seem to be in competition if anything to give the best gift then tell the other mums, how much the teacher thanked them and said how wonderful they are 🥱
So of course dc want something to hand over.

I love that a headteacher said no gifts. Ours puts messages out saying 'thanks for all your lovely gifts'

Pinkkisugarmouse
Maybe, but then that’s like people who say don’t give a gift do x (whether for teachers or normal parties), there’s a chance it could be something they don’t have and are thrilled with- a lot of people call stuff ‘tat’ and don’t give it where some of us treasure it and love it! (A few times the kids have gotten gifts instead of vouchers from friends and everyone talks about them and they are played with an used)

@Annahh if other parents are competitive about it, why not email the head and ask if there are any supplies they are short of then boast on the WhatsApp about how you’re sending in a pack of printer paper / multipack of glue sticks? A teacher I know has to buy her own printer paper for activity sheets as funds are so low.

Otherwise a big box of tea bags / coffee for the staff room sounds like a good idea, avoids stress over making sure all the teachers in the class are included. If it’s not welcome then it can be donated to a food bank or local charity.

I'm an ex supply teacher, I keep every card I have been given.

When I have done a longer supply I have sometimes bought things for the staff room, obviously having worked in the school I know what would go well so on one occasion it was a coffee maker, but my usual, and always well received has been samosas.

I'm lucky that I live near a few sweet centres so I can easily order 100.

I would get something for the staff room, biscuits, cake, shortbread. Even a stack of pot noodles / microwave rice / cup a soup for the days staff have not had their lunch break.

Honestly, a card and a coffee voucher. I don't think teachers need any more coffee mugs, scarves, etc.

Alternatively, at my friend's dc school, someone usually offers to do a collection from parents and buys something more substantial and everyone signs the card who took part.
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