One in 10 parents spends £25 or more on an end-of-year present for their child’s teacher, according to a poll.

With the end of term and six-week summer holiday fast approaching, the survey suggests that many mums and dads are picking out gifts as a thank you for school staff.

The vast majority of those polled by Mumsnet said they buy a present, with more than half (57 per cent) saying they buy a gift on behalf of their family for their child’s teacher, while a further 26 per cent said they get a present via a class collection.

Asked how much they spend on an end-of-year thank you for school staff, the most popular answer was up to £10 (chosen by 23 per cent), with 11 per cent spending up to £15, 15 per cent handing over up to £20, and 4 per cent spending up to £25. Some 10 per cent admitted that they splash out £25 or more.

Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts said: “Most parents are really grateful for teachers’ efforts and like to show their appreciation at the end of the school year. The main worry is how to avoid gifting the same teacher multiple boxes of Roses and bottles of cheap plonk.”

One-upmanship between parents

Three-fifths of those questioned agreed that parents and children should give teachers presents or tokens of appreciation, whether these are bought or home-made.

Around two-thirds (65 per cent) said they buy gifts because they like to show their appreciation for staff, while 15 per cent say they do so if someone has gone above and beyond their job, and 8 per cent do so because they do not want to look mean and everyone else seems to do it.

Chocolates were the most popular present to give a school worker, the poll shows, followed by contributing to a class collection (20 per cent), vouchers (17 per cent), alcohol (16 per cent) and a gift made by a child (13 per cent).

Just under half of the parents questioned (44 per cent) said they feel pressurised to give their child’s teacher an end-of-year present, with 41 per cent disagreeing and the rest unsure.

In addition, 45 per cent agreed that some parents enjoy the “one-upmanship” of buying the best present.

The vast majority (79 per cent) said their child enjoys giving a present to their teacher.

The poll questioned 1,006 Mumsnet users with at least one child at primary school.

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