Help me find the seemingly impossible footwear for secondary school that meets the following requirements!!

[frolicsandfiddledeedees]

DD is starting high school in September.

She has to wear flat shoes or ankle boots that are plain black polishable leather with no buckles/studs/fluffy bits etc and no decorative anything. Laces are acceptable but she'd prefer no to have to bother with them if possible.

She also has to walk nearly a mile along a public footpath over fields to get to the school bus every day. So whatever she wears needs to be waterproof to some degree and also to have a decent grip on the soles.

No lockers at school so she will need to wear them all day - so our original plan of travelling there and back in wellies and keeping her school shoes in her locker to change into (as she has done for years at primary) is not going to work!

Suggestions anyone?

[TalkinPeace]

www.johnlewis.com/clarks-carousel-trick-lace-up-shoes-black/p1239163
www.johnlewis.com/clarks-un-linda-loafers-black/p667072

[thecageisfull]

Dr Martens?

[MaryBennett]

Black Docs from Amazon. Bargain!

[mrspink27]

Something like www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B008F6LNV6?pc_redir=1404711818&robot_redir=1&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21? What my dd had this year and seems to have been ok.

[ComradePlexiglass]

Toughees?

[UniS]

kickers?

Do the laces HAVE to be black as well? some of the girls round here use ribbons as laces in kickers or brouges. Makes a slightly butch sensible shoe look more girlie.

[frolicsandfiddledeedees]

DMs are specifically banned ! !

The first ones linked are just normal school shoes which would be fine if it wasn't for the walking. But the lack of grip to the soles would be a real problem on anything other than the driest days.

[DialsMavis]

All girls and boys in the lower years of secondary school here wear Kickers.... I'm over the moon. They are expensive, but sensible and pretty hard wearing

[frolicsandfiddledeedees]

Yep laces must be plain black.

Kickers look good as do the Toughees, thanks :)

[frolicsandfiddledeedees]

Ha Kickers were THE shoes when I was at secondary so I assumed they'd be right out now!

[KittiesInsane]

Those first Clarks ones are also quite low and pointy in the toe box. DD can't get her feet into that sort of thing at all.

Watching with interest as we're going to have the same problem with the added fun of orthotic insoles (and a total ban on boots, however black or polishable).

[PurpleAlert]

Sounds like my DDs school. They have
about three pages of pictures of shoes that are banned on their website. The only shoes I found that were suitable and fitted her orthotics ( sigh) were brogues but still needed to be careful they didn't have more than 25% of the top covered with any sort of decoration and brogues often have that.

She was told that patent shoes were not allowed as the reflection off them might show their underwear!

[ElephantsNeverForgive]

If there was ever a MN campaign I'd whole heartedly support it's the
"What's on your feet, doesn't effect your education" campaign.

Our lane, where the bus stops, floods. Ankle boots, banned would be so much better than court shoes and flimsy Clark brogues. Sadly Kickers,DMs and anything clumpy isn't girly enough.

[frolicsandfiddledeedees]

It's infuriating. I do understand and accept the need for uniform rules at secondary but they need to allow for practical functional clothing. My preference would be classic DM boots -DD will wear trousers anyway so the tops won't be visible, they are tough, waterproof, have decent soles, last forever, and are smart enough if kept clean ands polished. But no, there is a specific ban on 'DM style boots' FFS!

[fatbottomgirl67]

My daughter has geox . Flat , elastic sides for good fit black super gripy sole. She has good walk from station daily and they have lasted a whole Year! !!

[frolicsandfiddledeedees]

Which Geox does she have fatbottomgirl - any chance of a link?

[frolicsandfiddledeedees]

DD has asked if I think she will be allowed to wear these - my initial reaction was to say no way. But on thinking about it - they do actually fit the bill in every way.... Do you think they'd be acceptable? I might email the school a picture and ask.

[CharmQuark]

All the secondary school kids round here wear Kickers, biys and girls.

They are expensive but comfortable and wear very well. Not flimsy.

[frolicsandfiddledeedees]

I must start looking at the feet of the passing high school kids when sat in traffic this week! Kickers are looking like a likely option, but if we can avoid laces so much the better.

[HamAndPlaques]

Going by thecriteriathatyou cite then kickers will probably be fine but do double-check. I know of a few schools who don't allow kickers for some reason.

[TheFirstOfHerName]

Ah yes, I think you mean these

[frolicsandfiddledeedees]

Why yes, I think I do.

[ElephantsNeverForgive]

Seriously, please can some one link to a pair of Kickers their teen DD wears. I can only find fuggly clumpy things that even my practical DD1 would refuse to wear.

[FFSFFS]

One of my DDs wore boys shoes for a while. They looked cute with her long skinny legs and tight'ish trousers. A few other girls did the same. They would have been about the same age. I think they only look ok on girls if they have smallish feet though otherwise they look too clumpy. They also only work with trousers.

Girls school shoes are awful. I'm so glad that my youngest is at a non uniform sixth form college.

[WTFlike]

Can she wear trainers? Mine has these.

www.littlewoodsireland.ie/nike-court-tradition-2-plus-junior-trainers-black/1335908130.prd?_requestid=334901