School shoes - help please before this breaks us!!!!!

[MrsSpenserGregson]

We cannot find black school shoes to fit DD!!

DD (aged 11, year 7) has adult-sized feet, size 5-6, wide-fitting across the big toe joint according to Clarks (even though her feet look extremely narrow to me) but super skinny around the back/heel. This means that every pair of shoes in the world slips off at the back, no matter if they are slip-ons, laces or if they have straps. She cannot tolerate heel grips (frankly I don't blame her). We thought we'd found a pair in Clarks yesterday, with an insole, but this seems to be pushing her toes up to the top of the shoe so the leather is rubbing her....

She has tried on at least twenty pairs of shoes in Clarks, M&S, Sports Direct, Next, TopShop etc .... everything is huge and baggy around the back. She is a hormonal pre-teen. I am menopausal and frankly we've both had enough. Does anyone have any suggestions of other shoe retailers we could try, or am I going to have to tell her to suck it up and wear ill-fitting shoes? (Which seems harsh and not good for her tbh).

I don't want my first interaction with her new head teacher (going to secondary school next month) to be me whining about shoes and asking for exceptions to the rules because we are oh so special, but I can't really see what else to do...

All suggestions gratefully received in this hormonal house of hell. Happy to try any shoe retailer at the moment and honestly, prepared to pay £££ if I have to as she needs shoes nowwwwwwwww

Not allowed to wear boots....

I think one of the local-ish independents stocks Geox so I will have a look there for sure and will head to Southampton if we have no luck there.

Shuddering at the thought of bespoke handmade shoes for a child whose feet are growing at the rate of knots..... but it's a fair point!

Thank you all so, so much for the advice.

DD14, has similar type of foot. We have just bought her these:

I haven't read the thread, but my experience with Clarks is that their women's shoes are cut very tight over the big toe joint. I have size 3.5 feet, neither large nor wide, but Clarks shoes are often too tight for me there, brogues excepted. So it's probably not your daughter at all.

hopingforhappiness those are gorgeous! (and not cheap ) ... gonna check whether that big bow would pass the uniform checks....

Does anyone else wish we would just abolish school uniform in the UK?!

OP, if you end up going to Southampton, there is a Dr Martens Shop in the High Street, just opposite the entrance to the big West Quay shopping centre, so you could try there and French & Co., there is also a Schuh insidie West Quay.

Good luck - my DS used to have an awkward foot shape that made Clarks unwearable, I don't remeber the brand we found in the end, but it was from Russell and Bromley (but there isn't one in So'ton any more).

Don’t suppose you’re near Alresford in Hampshire? Billy Goat independent shoe shop is amazing and have helped with a few people’s DC non standard shoe sizes (including ours!).

I have a daughter with this problem. Hush Puppies were the only ones that fit her that didn't rub.

Anothef guess at your location, if you are near Farnborough, Shuzu in North Camp are great.

Have them custom made?

The bow slides off, I want a pair myself :o

My daughter used to have a similar issue and the o my shoes that would fit were hush puppies brougues. They were decent quality.

I refused to even look at slip on shoes for school for her, they’re not even remotely fit for purpose.

They do them in patent leather and/or without the bow.
DD had leather Converse last year and they were perfect, banned this year of course!