Secret Santa Gifts for A Teacher Or School Colleague: Ideas Under £15

Secret Santa gifts for a teacher or school colleague

Staffroom Secret Santa runs on a tight budget and an even tighter last week of term. Practical, consumable and quick-to-open wins, because nobody has time for anything else in December.

Everything below sits inside a normal UK Secret Santa budget of £10 to £15, so nothing here makes anyone else's gift look small. The ideas are grouped by what usually works, what to steer clear of and how to handle the opening itself.

If you are still setting the draw up, the Secret Santa rules guide covers budgets, deadlines and drawing names, and our free name picker does the draw for you.

Secret Santa gifts under £15

Pin badges, candles, coasters and prints designed in house and posted from the UK — all comfortably inside a Secret Santa budget.

A typographic music print featuring Taylor Swift Bejewelled lyrics on high-quality paper, unframed. Best Believe I'm Still Bejewelled By Taylor Swift Music Lyrics Print £8.00 Unframed wall art print featuring the text 'In A World Of Grey, Be A Flamingo' in colourful, vibrant lettering. In A World Of Grey, Be A Flamingo Print (A4 & A3) £8.00 A colourful typographic wall art print with the quote 'I work hard so that my dog can live a better life' in A4 or A3. I Work Hard So That My Dog Can Live A Better Life Print (A4 & A3) £8.00 A colourful fitness wall print illustrating the HYROX competition race format with running and functional workout steps. Hyrox Competition Race Format Print (A4 & A3) £8.00 Enamel pin badge shaped like a red cowboy boot with the text What Would Dolly Do. What Would Dolly Do? Pin Badge £4.49 Small enamel pin badge with a funny "Chicken Nugget Club" design, perfect as a humorous novelty gift. Chicken Nugget Club Pin Badge (Small) £4.00

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Secret Santa gift ideas for a teacher or school colleague

  1. Good coffee or tea for the staffroom. The single most-used gift in any school.
  2. A decent pen. Teachers lose them at a rate no other profession matches.
  3. A pin badge with a staffroom joke on it — safe for lanyards, funny in the corridor.
  4. A candle for the first evening of the holidays.
  5. A notebook for next term's plans.
  6. A coaster for the desk that always has a cold cup on it.
  7. Chocolate. Unglamorous, always eaten, never wrong.
  8. A card that says one true thing about them. Teachers get thanked by parents and rarely by each other.

What to avoid

  • World's Best Teacher mugs. They already have six.
  • Anything that needs to be carried home along with thirty other gifts.
  • Jokes about specific pupils or parents.
  • Anything scented and strong for a shared staffroom.

Budget and etiquette

  • Set the budget low — £5 to £10 is normal in schools.
  • Open on the last inset or staff lunch, not in the middle of a teaching day.
  • Keep it small enough to fit in an already-full bag.
  • Include support staff and TAs in the draw.

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Pin badges under a tenner

Small enough to post, funny enough to survive being opened in front of everyone.

Enamel pin badge shaped like a red cowboy boot with the text What Would Dolly Do. What Would Dolly Do? Pin Badge £4.49 Small enamel pin badge with a funny "Chicken Nugget Club" design, perfect as a humorous novelty gift. Chicken Nugget Club Pin Badge (Small) £4.00 Small, cute enamel pin badge in the shape of a daisy flower. Cute Small Daisy Pin Badge £4.00 Cute Cat With Pearl Ball Pin Badge Cute Cat With Pearl Ball Pin Badge £4.00 All Panic, No Disco Pin Badge For Emos All Panic, No Disco Pin Badge For Emos £4.00 Small Heart Notification Pin Badge Small Heart Notification Pin Badge £4.00 What Would Dolly Do? Small Pin Badge What Would Dolly Do? Small Pin Badge £4.49 Cute Duck In Pink Cowboy Hat And Boots Pin Badge Cute Duck In Pink Cowboy Hat And Boots Pin Badge £4.00

Christmas cards to go with it

A card turns a small gift into a proper present. Printed and posted in the UK.

'tis the season to drink Guinness Christmas Card 'tis the season to drink Guinness Christmas Card £3.87 Let's drink (Guinness) and be Merry Christmas Card With Tree Let's drink (Guinness) and be Merry Christmas Card With Tree £3.87 Let's drink (Guinness) and be merry Christmas Card Let's drink (Guinness) and be merry Christmas Card £3.87 Wishing you an Electrifying Christmas Greeting Card Wishing you an Electrifying Christmas Greeting Card £3.87 Merry Christmas Nanny (Christmas Card For Nan) Merry Christmas Nanny (Christmas Card For Nan) £3.87 Merry Christmas Mummy (Christmas Card For Mum) Merry Christmas Mummy (Christmas Card For Mum) £3.87 Merry Christmas Brother (Christmas Card For Brothers) Merry Christmas Brother (Christmas Card For Brothers) £3.87 Merry Christmas Daddy (Christmas Card For Dad) Merry Christmas Daddy (Christmas Card For Dad) £3.87

How to write it so it lands

  • Small, useful, consumable.
  • Keep the budget low so nobody opts out.
  • Thank them in writing — almost nobody does.

Where to shop next

Frequently asked questions

What do teachers actually want for Secret Santa?

Coffee, chocolate, a good pen, a candle or a notebook. Practical and consumable beats novelty in a staffroom every time.

What is a normal school Secret Santa budget?

£5 to £10 is typical. Keep it low so everybody can take part in the most expensive month of the year.

Should TAs and support staff be included?

Yes, always. A staffroom draw that leaves people out causes far more upset than it saves.

How much should you spend on Secret Santa in the UK?

£10 to £15 at work and £15 to £20 in families. Agree one number rather than a range, and say up front whether the card and postage count towards it.

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