Your kid is leaving school, what are you buying their head of year?

[dewne]

Especially if you regularly bought presents for the class teacher at primary school
Please show your working.

(NB I don't think any teachers should get or expect presents)

It doesn't need to be a gift. That's part of what makes it a gift after all, the choice to give it. Some people choose to do this. It's not a new edict.

DD wrote the teachers she especially liked and who had gone above and beyond a thank you card. Other than that, nothing.

I can assure you they were. I’m a primary teacher and an end of year note from a pupil or parent saying how much they’ve enjoyed being in my class is the best present a teacher can get (although a nice bottle of wine is a close second).

Yr11s giving teachers gifts themselves is not unusual

We used to bring in bottles of wine and chocolate etc for form tutors at Xmas and end of year

My ds is finishing a'levels. I will buy his dt teacher a bottle of champagne. I've known her since he was 11 and I know she has gone over and above to support & encourage him with his NEA.
His physics and maths teachers will get bottles of red wine. He's on track for AAA thanks to their hard work.

My daughter sent cards to all her subject teachers and a for a few she brought a small gift. Nothing for HOY though as she had no direct contact with them. She did buy her a tutor a gift as they stay with them from yr 7-11.

I always figured once they got to the stage of education where they were seeing multiple teachers, the gifts ended except where a teacher had gone above and beyond or if the child themselves wants to get one. I would say alcohol is definitely a no unless you are 100% sure what the teacher's relationship with alcohol is like.

We did something similar to this and DD wrote cards.

We didn’t. I think the head was actually leaving so gave £20 though kinda resented it as my DD had only been there for sixth form, but I think for longer term students their parents have considerably more (private school). But I didn’t give anything except to my son’s form tutor when he left school after GCSEs. He’d been there since Y4, but when I told them he was not returning, emailed to his year head, head of the secondary school and finance department I got not one acknowledgment, not one ‘best wishes for the future’ for my son, nothing. After eight years of fees I thought that was pretty poor.

I never normally would have but my sons head of year has been outstanding in supporting him to travel for international duty, written glowing reports every six weeks to the club (who check in grades, attitude and attendance), come to a game and write a full analysis of our son for his scholarship. This is above and beyond and deserves a big thank you gift.

A child I don't teach but who adopted me as a safe adult made me an artwork. It's beautiful.