Do your children have to wear indoor shoes in school?

[yoyo]

Our local state primary has a policy such that all children change their shoes for plimsolls and only wear their shoes at playtime. I have just had my daughter fitted for shoes and have been told that she is rolling her ankles and wonder if this is exacerbated by wearing plimsolls.

Think I will have to approach the school but wondered if there are other schools which insist on this and has anyone challenged the policy? It is rather annoying to pay in excess of £30 to have good shoes only for them not to be worn!

[huggybear]

mine wear slippers in nursery and so do all the staff. parents have to remove their shoes if they go past a certain point. its because of hygiene reasons as the kids play on the floor so i think its a good idea.

[KateandtheGirls]

No, she wears trainers in and out of school. (We're in the US though.)

[Bozza]

Have an indoor shoe policy at my DS's nursery which rather irritates me for the reason you mention. In my case also its difficult to get cheap plimsolls to fit DS's very wide feet so he has Clarks' slippers. Would really prefer him to be bare foot if not wearing shoes.

[JulieF]

I would be very very unhappy at my dd wearing anything other than properly fitted shoes for the majority of the school day. At home she has bare feet indoors.

When she was smaller I was told she turned her foot and they wanted her to have Start-rite ankle boots to help correct it. For some reason the boots made her hysterical so we settled for sturdy shoes so I imagine that plimsolls may not be helping.

It is rather an expensive option, but would they accept it if you bought another pair of shoes especially for indoors, or you could have shoes for indoors and trainers for outside.

Go back to the shop, ask to speak to the head fitter and ask their opinion, then go to the school and put in a request based on what they tell you.

[yoyo]

I had considered the option of a second pair of shoes so if they refuse on grounds of bringing dirt in to school I may well try that approach. It is rather expensive with three children though.

Mine are also barefoot at home.

I wonder if they can actually enforce this policy though?

[JulieF]

Well I help run a stage school where the policy is that for the 3 hours they are with us the children have to wear jazz shoes.

We have one child with calipers for whom we have to make an exception as the jazz shoes do not provide enough support.

If you can get someone to say that your dd needs to be wearing proper shoes I don't see how they can refuse.

[suedonim]

My children's previous school had this ridiculous policy, claiming the carpets got dirty and that shoes scratched the polished hall floor. Imo schools should have child-friendly, washable floors. I bought my children open-toe sandals to wear in school. But they weren't keen to be different and wear them past the age of 8 or so.