As it nears the last day of term, we teachers are desperately trying to find ways to fill those final lessons on the timetable. This isn't easy when you’re left with a class of six because of a trip, you’ve finished the scheme of work early (although goodness knows how when you lost three lessons to exams) and suddenly during the hottest time of the year, four students have mysteriously come down with the flu.

It’s a mess. So – what can you do that’s worthwhile in those lessons?

Here is my suggestion: thank-you letters, written by students, addressed to staff members. That’s what my students have just done.

I got the idea after I received a thank-you letter last year from a student who wrote one in class. He probably wouldn’t have written me one otherwise, yet I was touched. It’s not that students aren’t grateful; they just don’t often think to thank those around them.

Here's what we did.

'Who did the most for you?'

When explaining the task, I put a lot of emphasis on how the letter could be to any staff member, not just teachers. "TAs, office staff, the canteen staff, whoever you feel you most want to give thanks to. You need to really think about the people who have done the most for you and that you feel you can give a whole letter’s worth of thanks to," I explained.

Students then picked their top three staff members, putting each teacher’s name in a bubble and, around it, labelling all the different reasons why they could give thanks to that teacher. This proved a useful prompt that students could refer back to, keeping them focused throughout their letter-writing.

The great thing about this task is that because students are so desperate to get this right for the teacher they are thanking, they are happy to keep working until they know it’s perfect. And it’s good for them, too. Expressing gratitude has been shown to increase happiness and improve wellbeing.

'Heartwarming and emotional'

The exercise sparked some endearing conversations, which resulted in two students writing their thank-you letters to the headteacher. They explained to me that the headteacher is probably the least likely person in a school to be thanked, despite all they do for students. One student wrote to a staff member expressing thanks for giving them an identity. It’s great to have had that experience, but can you imagine how great it must feel to receive thanks for creating that experience? That is the power of gratitude at its finest.

The feedback from staff who have received letters has been a boost for me, as well as for them. One teacher told me: “Receiving that letter was so heartwarming and quite emotional. It helped me to take a step back and realise that the work I do does actually make a big difference, and that it is all worthwhile.”

Knowing that your students are helping staff to finish this year on a high, as well as improving their writing skills, is a double win for any English teacher.

Maria Vogler is a head of drama, associate head of KS4 and an English teacher. She tweets @mariarosevogler