At a South East London primary school, the end-of-year collection for teachers reached £560 — split between the class teacher and teaching assistants. For a class of 30, that works out at more than £18 per child. On top of that, there are bake sales and ice cream sales in June and July to raise money for the school, plus collections for support staff leaving or for members of the PTA.
One mother-of-two, who did not want to share her name, said she and her partner “were not in an uncomfortable position” but still “feel the strain”. “Sometimes you are asked to put money into someone’s bank account and there’s a lot of pressure there,” she told the BBC. “You can’t just put a few quid in or you’ll seem tight.”
“Parents feel pressure as teacher collections reach £560 per class, with etiquette and costs causing friction.”
What used to be a simple matter of buying chocolate and writing a card has been overtaken by an organisational extravaganza. Class reps send out a flurry of Whatsapps to drum up contributions, before passing round the collective card, and deciding on flowers, spa days, wine or vouchers.
The end of summer term is the traditional time for parents to think about thank-yous after another year of hard work. But with many strapped for cash and heading into the holidays, it becomes an extra expense and an awkward etiquette to negotiate. Parents ask themselves: is £5 too much? Or too little? And what about support staff like teaching assistants, canteen staff and librarians?
The topic divides opinion on Mumsnet. In one recent thread, a parent spoke of the “insane” amount they were asked to give. Another said they felt pressured to contribute, especially if there was a class “Queen Bee” organising the collection. But others argued it was reasonable: teachers are “woefully underpaid and undervalued”, they pointed out. Even if you contribute £10 each for three members of staff, that costs the same as taking the family out for coffee and pastries.
Maya, who also did not want to use her real name due to “the politics of it all”, has taken on the role of organising the whip-round for the past few years at her children’s London school. She says a class collection is more affordable than giving individual presents. She and the other parents agreed on a contribution of £5 per member of staff, making a total of £15 from each child for their teacher and two teaching assistants. She notes that in a year when the teacher “hasn’t been the best”, payouts have been lower.
Whether it’s £5 or £18 per child, the pressure to give — and to be seen to give fairly — remains.