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Important update from TheSchoolRun

For the past 13 years, TheSchoolRun has been run by a small team of mums working from home, dedicated to providing quality educational resources to primary school parents. Unfortunately, rising supplier costs and falling revenue have made it impossible for us to continue operating, and we’ve had to make the difficult decision to close. The good news: We’ve arranged for another educational provider to take over many of our resources. These will be hosted on a new portal, where the content will be updated and expanded to support your child’s learning.

What this means for subscribers:

  • Your subscription is still active, and for now, you can keep using the website as normal — just log in with your usual details to access all our articles and resources*.
  • In a few months, all resources will move to the new portal. You’ll continue to have access there until your subscription ends. We’ll send you full details nearer the time.
  • As a thank you for your support, we’ll also be sending you 16 primary school eBooks (worth £108.84) to download and keep.

A few changes to be aware of:

  • The Learning Journey weekly email has ended, but your child’s plan will still be updated on your dashboard each Monday. Just log in to see the recommended worksheets.
  • The 11+ weekly emails have now ended. We sent you all the remaining emails in the series at the end of March — please check your inbox (and spam folder) if you haven’t seen them. You can also follow the full programme here: 11+ Learning Journey.

If you have any questions, please contact us at enquiries@theschoolrun.com. Thank you for being part of our journey it’s been a privilege to support your family’s learning.

*If you need to reset your password, it will still work as usual. Please check your spam folder if the reset email doesn’t appear in your inbox.

Teachers' best and worst gifts ever

School-themed biscuits
Yes, it’s the thought that counts, but what would teachers really like as a thank-you gift at the end of term? Lucy Dimbylow asked them to reveal their favourite ever presents – and the ones they could have lived without

The best…

“I used to work in a school where lots of the children came from very deprived backgrounds, so I never got many presents. But one year a couple of girls made me a laminated certificate thanking me for being their teacher. It was such a thoughtful gesture, and probably my best present ever.” 
Helen S

“My favourite ever present was a yearbook put together by my year 6 leavers and their parents. They’d all written me a message and compiled them with memories and photos from their time at the school. It must have taken them weeks.”
Adam K

“I still cherish a “World’s Best Teacher” troll that I was given at the end of my first year as a newly qualified teacher.”
Kate C

“My best present ever was a bottle of champagne. You can’t argue with that at the end of a long and exhausting summer term.”
Sharon D

“My most treasured present was a lovely black and silver paperweight. It was from the mum of a little boy with ADHD, who had put a note in the box saying that I was the only person who’d ever understood her son.”
Stephanie S

“At the end of my first year of teaching, 17 years ago, one family gave me a lovely Royal Worcester cake plate. I still use it now.”
Claire M

“I was once given a jigsaw made out of the class photo. I liked it so much that I had it framed, and it’s now in my office at home.”
Graham S

“The most useful present I’ve ever received was a set of pens, personalised with my name. I’m always complaining about the kids making off with my pens, and obviously someone was paying attention!”
Catherine J

“I taught a little girl who had a beautiful fluffy winter coat that I was always admiring. At the end of term, she gave me a scarf made of a similar material, so that I wouldn’t forget her.”
Jill P

... and the worst

“My worst ever present was a mug with stir marks inside, which had clearly just been brought from the family’s kitchen.”
Louise B

“One year, I was given a lighter which revealed a picture of a naked lady when it was turned upside down. Not only am I not a smoker, but to make matters worse, I opened it in front of the rather prudish deputy head…”
Adam K

“In general, I appreciate everything that the children give me, but I could have lived without the chocolate cat – squashed – that I was given once.” Sharon D

“Someone once gave me a pair of beaded earrings. They were very pretty, but I don’t have pierced ears.”
Catherine J

“I know it’s the thought that counts, but any cakes, biscuits or other foodstuffs made by pupils go straight in the bin. Having seen how much nose-picking and nail-biting goes on in the classroom, I can never bring myself to eat them.”
Nicola H

“I had to laugh at the box of biscuits I was given one year. I thought the box looked slightly the worse for wear, and when I checked the expiry date, I discovered they were 12 months out of date!”
Jill P

Image: Teacher's Pet tin from Biscuiteers, photo www.bigfish.co.uk

Looking for gift ideas to fit into the 'best' category? We've picked a few of our favourites...