Tell notonthehighstreet.com what you’d give a great teacher – chance to win £300 voucher - plus teachers: share your ideal gift NOW CLOSED

[JustineBMumsnet]

The end of the school year is fast approaching, (or perhaps already here for some of you), and notonthehighstreet.com are keen to hear how your children show appreciation to their teachers at the end of the school year.

Here’s what notonthehighstreet.com have to say: “Whether you're overjoyed about the little one's grades or just want to say thanks for coping with a whole class of kids, we've hundreds of brilliant gift ideas that'll leave teacher smiling 'til next term”

Visit this page they have pulled together with ideas for teachers gifts and tell us which ones you think your child’s teacher would love to receive (and you’d love to give!) by leaving a comment below.

Teachers of Mumsnet, we know you might well say no gift is necessary but if your arm was twisted, we’d also love to know what your ideal end of year gift would be.

Everyone who posts on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 notonthehighstreet.com voucher!

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

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We like to make a card ourself and bake brownies or a cake so it has the personal touch - surely most people like cakes!!!

I think that the present giving for teachers has got totally out of hand and I certainly do not like the class collection idea which becomes unpleasant and ridiculously competitive and can way exceed people's finances . However I do feel that a little homemade card and homemade gift, or other small token of appreciation is a nice gesture.

a handmade card of thanks, some parents do collections which i hate, sure the teachers are embarrased as they try to impress them

A lovely homemade card is always great. We also email or ensure we personally thank the teacher for everything at various times throughout the year.

My ds is just finishing year 6. He came up with the idea of doing a word art picture in the shape of something his class teacher and headteacher love filled with words about them. It's a very personal and thoughtful gift and doesn't cost much.

A bottle of wine each.

I'm a teacher, someone I work with said if he had a super power it would be a volume knob for kids in a classroom. If you could invent that it would be a brilliant gift ha ha.

Seriously though I don't expect or want gifts at the end of the year, I do my job because i love it.

We've previously sought to find out teachers interests if we didn't know already - and chosen thoughtful gifts (hopefully)! Another time we gave John Lewis vouchers. I think a thank you we gave to the teachers when our son left kindergarten was my favourite - an Amazon voucher to buy books for class. We did give personal gifts too but wanted to make a gesture to thank the school for all they had done. Making cards for teachers this year and may give a voucher for a local tea room/ gardens in anticipation of a good summer.

Oh, not a fan of collections as always remember as a working mum feeling a bit invisible and just a bit of a supporting act to the mum who handed it over to teacher. Feel it should be more personal.

My son is only 3 and in a school nursery where there are many teachers and assistants so it's not easy to give a personal gift. We will be making a card though and taking in a big tin of biscuits for the staff room at the start f the new term.

My daughter likes to bring her teacher wild flowers we find on the walk to school. One morning she drew her teacher a picture and asked me how to write - I love you Mrs xxx. And she did write it.

My DD has just left school. I haven't given any gifts whilst she's been at high school but there has been one teacher this year who has given DD a great deal of help and support. I gave her a hand made card with a felt brooch on it and a heartfelt message inside.

I quite like a class collection, makes life easier!

In my daughters preschool they do a collection for those that wish to join in. I quite like it as there is no pressure on how much to donate and the staff can buy something they would really like. At Christmas we do the more personal gifts.

We usually buy a small gift for each teacher (and not forgetting the TAs too!) like a chocolate orange, and then personalise it - when the kids were younger and just learning to write, this was a tag with the teachers name on, now they are older they write a short letter or card thanking the teacher for something specific. Last year my son wrote a letter to a teacher who had really helped him with his dyslexia and writing problems - she was quite emotional about it as she knew how much effort a letter must have taken him!

I will be buying DS's teacher a book token for a really nice independent bookshop near us, plus a Cafe Nero gift card, so he can go and browse in the shop, buy himself something nice, then sit and read it while having a drink and a biscuit.

He has earned every penny of the gift 1000 times over, because DS can be an utter pain (he has ASD and is very argumentative). His teacher has been incredibly patient and positive with him, and I'm beyond grateful.

At my DC's pres school they say if you would like to give something then to please donate money to add to a collection which is then shared out between all the staff and they are given vouchers.
I suppose this way they can buy what they like with it and it ensures they are 'treated' but don't get unwanted / duplicate gifts.

I do wine or chocolates and help DD make flapjack or similar.
Sometimes do biscuits for staffroom and office too.

DD is leaving primary this year and so I'm trying to think about something more special for the staffroom.

My boys love to hand over a little gift to their teachers and a handmade card. I encourage them to pick a moment they have enjoyed in the class that year to draw on the front. Class collections drive me crazy and I don't give to them. The gift we get is a token really. For Christmas we got their teachers a molten brown showed gel Christmas baubel which I had got I a special deal!

We have bought in to the craziness of teacher presents as it is hard to send your DCs to school on the last day when everyone else has a gift for the teacher and they have nothing. We have had some great teachers and some that the children have not gelled with at all and have struggled through the Year group. Some years there has been 2 teachers on job shares and 4 different TAs helping with different things so then I would have to do a bulk present like a box of biscuits to share. I hate class collections because they always ask for way more than I would choose to give - £20 last year!! This year we are doing a reusable coffee mug as DS says his teacher has dropped and smashed hers recently. Just hoping she won't get 29 others!

At my daughter's school the year group parent representative arranges a whip round and we give the teachers some vouchers for a nearby shopping centre. Before I realise this was the protocol I bought a large bag of Molten Brown minis and let the teachers share them amongst themselves.

As a teacher myself; I haven't received anything.

the most important bit is the card, so the teacher has a record of how s/he is appreciated. The actual gift depends on the teacher and how well we know them - in the past we've made rocky road and put it in nice bags for the teacher and TAs, a nice bottle of wine another year, we've made needle books for a particularly crafty teacher... try and get it right! My parents are both teachers, so I am aware how each summer we had yet more mugs and chocolates - all very appreciated, but I think each donor would have wished they'd been the only one, IYSWIM. My Dad always appreciated a nice bottle of whiskey from the more discerning parents

Teachers and TAs get wine from me. It's not very original but it's the easiest thing for them to re-gift if they don't like it. And it lasts for longer than chocolates

As a teacher I always appreciate a home made card or message. I teach in Reception and if parents want to buy a gift I usually suggest something for the class - pack of felt pens, book for the library area, craft supplies etc.

However, parents who know me well buy wine

As a teacher a lovely year 11 girl gave me a framed photo of herself... She was lovely but I'm not sure what I was meant to do with it.

I go with something small and useful. My daughters reception teacher told me she liked gardening so I bought her gardening gloves. Assume no one wants STUFF in their house. We do handmade thank you cards that I try to make my daughter do as independently as possible