6th December 2021
Our parent/carer surveys over the last 18 months have made it very clear to us that many families have been, and continue to be, under financial pressure. Connect has now written to COSLA (the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities), asking COSLA to call on its members to consider adopting a ‘No Gift’ policy for schools and nurseries to discourage acceptance by teachers/staff of gifts from pupils/families. You can read this letter here.
Over the past few years, we have encouraged parents and parent groups to think again about buying gifts for teachers and staff, and instead show appreciation in other ways over the festive period, such as a thank you or hand-made drawing or card from their child, if the child wishes to do this. We understand that families are really keen to show their appreciation and gratitude to their child’s teachers and other staff at Christmas.
However, this may inadvertently create real difficulties and pressures. Even pre-pandemic many families were struggling financially, and this has been worsened by COVID-19. We have heard from many teachers and members of staff who are keenly aware of the financial pressures many families are under and say that a simple and heartfelt ‘thank you’ is more than enough. We know some local authorities such as North Ayrshire have implemented a 'no gifts' policy as part of its Cost of the School Day actions. We believe all settings and local authorities need to lead by example, and a dedicated 'no gifts' policy would ensure that everyone is on an equal footing. We will be working with our Member Parent Councils and encouraging them to work with their head teachers to implement a similar policy.