A TEACHER has revealed which popular store buys they don’t want to get for end of school year – and the gifts teachers truly appreciate.
The big summer break is right around the corner and as millions of kids across the UK are looking forward to ending the school year, their parents are scrambling to figure out what to buy for their teachers.
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To make gift-shopping a little easier, one woman took to Facebook after stumbling across purse-friendly present ideas, some of which were going for less than a quid.
Sharing the list of affordable buys she found, Carol Lesley revealed that Home Bargains offered a huge variety of goods for teachers, such as biscuits and vanilla butter fudge.
Other options that won’t break the bank included a ‘Thank you, teacher’ keyring for a mere 79p, as well as a box of chocolates slashed to just £2.99.
Uploading snaps of the different options, Carol wrote in her post: ”End of School year gift ideas for Teachers at Home Bargains.”
With millions of families eagerly waiting for their summer holidays, the post has since taken the internet by storm.
But as dozens flooded to tag fellow parents, one person who claimed to be a teacher spilled the beans on what the school staff really want – and the gifts that will end up getting donated.
They lifted the lid in the comments, writing: ”These are cute – but as a teacher please don’t buy these unless you are buying for a ECT as we have years and years of these!
”I have accumulated too many mugs, candles and keyrings over the years and feel bad when I have to donate or get rid of them due to having too many!”
If this has left feeling baffled as to what to get, fear not – as the person also shared what they truly appreciated.
”’A hand written card is enough. Or if you would like to buy something, most teachers I know would rather a £5 voucher for Costa or a Waterstones voucher to buy books for their school collection.
”I like to buy lots of picture books for my class!”
Another person agreed, writing: ”Most of those present will finish in charity shops. Just get a gift card for Nero, Costa or Greggs.”
A third chimed in: ”These are cute but you don’t need to buy gifts.
”A child’s drawing and some hand written words mean so much more to us teachers.”
”Just get wine, teachers love a good bottle of wine,” a Facebook user wrote.
Should you buy a teacher a gift?
IF you are wondering whether or not to buy your child’s teacher an end-of-year gift, look no further…
As the summer holidays fast approach, Fabulous Senior Digital Writer and mum-of-two Sarah Bull weighs in on whether you should feel obliged to buy your kids’ teachers a present to mark the end of term.
Sarah said: “It can be pricey trying to keep the kids entertained during six weeks off school.
“But before the end of term, parents all over the country are also trying to budget for gifts for their kids’ teachers too.
“With teachers, teaching assistants, SEN specialists and other beloved staff members to buy for, it can be an expensive business.
“And while lots of schools actively discourage parents from spending their money on end-of-term presents for teachers, I consider it an obligation.
“After all – I know how tough my kids can be at home, and their teachers have to keep them in check for the majority of the day – so don’t they deserve a token of appreciation?
“I also wouldn’t want my children to feel left out when their friends arrive at school armed with pressies for their teachers.
“While some parents go all out with gifts, with alcohol and flowers popular choices, I’ll be doing my best to stay at the £5 mark for each of the four staff members I’ll be buying for.
“And with some fab options in stores like Poundland, Home Bargains and B&M, it should be easy for me to stick to my budget.”
‘Teachers are going above & beyond to help kids stay fed’
Previously, The Sun reported the average Brit teacher spends £220 of their OWN money every school year feeding hungry pupils.
The impact of morning hunger on schoolchildren found 36 per cent of teachers claim to see hungry children arriving at school every day, and 16 per cent are regularly parting with their own money to buy food for kids, research showed.
And 27 per cent have given away food they brought in for their own snacks or meals.
But this left more than one in twenty (seven per cent) claiming they may not have become a teacher, had they known the extra ‘pastoral responsibility’ that would come with it, while another 30 per cent would have given it more thought.
With an average of four hours a week spent helping and supporting hungry children, 80 per cent of teachers admitted they often feel more like a caregiver than a teacher.
Andrew Ridge, social impact and sustainability lead at Kellogg’s, which commissioned the research to launch its annual Breakfast Clubs Awards, said: “Teachers are truly going above and beyond to help kids stay fed.
“As the cost of living continues to bite, parents are really feeling the pinch which is sadly leaving many children struggling to focus on their education due to the impact of being hungry in the morning.
“Going to school on an empty stomach as a result of skipping breakfast can be truly detrimental, and it’s worrying to see teachers are being left out of pocket as a result.
“We must continue to join forces as educators, businesses and government to help support those communities, and take collective action to tackle hunger.”
