Are these shoes acceptable for high school?

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Hi,

Dd starts high school next week and I really don't have a clue what shoes to get her!

She doesn't have friends yet (struggles socially) so can't compare.

We were in Clarks earlier and I was asking the assistant who looked very young, what she thought of these shoes she'd picked out and she said that some girls would wear them, but most will still try and get away with trainers and Vans. The way she said it suggested that "some girls wear them" actually meant 'the girls who get teased wear them'.

My DD already stands out as being quite different, so just want to make sure I'm not making her stand out more. I know that sounds awful, but I'm sure some of you will understand.

TIA

My Dd going into year 9 has clarks brogues, she had the same ones last year too, I notice a lot of girls wearing the same ones.
these

I have no idea. I think that rule is bonkers. We had huge amounts of snow last winter, and not wearing boots must have been a pain. DD was in 6th form by then and could wear boots.

This is on our school website:

plain black shoes

The following items are not acceptable as school uniform:
training shoes, coloured boots

Doesn't this a thread go to show the extent of which schools want control?

The 'no logo' applies here, but yet Clarkes now include a sole logo and a small label logo on the sides in the same way Vans do, one is OK because apparently Clarkes 'isn't a brand'

What they mean is a 'popular brand'

Clarkes and Vans largely are the same cost, so it can't be to avoid the poorer students being unable to afford brands.

They also insist on pelted skirts, yet most stores don't go over a Age 16 which is about a size 10. A lot of 16 year olds are bigger than a 10z.

I'd love to see a local school scrap uniform. Save an awful lot of issues.

No boots allowed in Dd's high school either. Silly rule seeing that it's bloody cold and wet in winter and walking hoime from the bus stop results in damp socks and cold feet.

Most of the girls round here wear the DM brogues, or the Mary Janes with the 2 straps.

Sorry haven't read the whole thread, they look like the ones my daughter has been wearing from year 6, now going into yr 11. Needs to come within uniform guidelines.

Dd is going into year 7 and has opted for a geox t-bar, they look like the DM polley shoe so hopefully not too uncool. She’s had brogues before but didn’t like them.
Her new head made it very clear about what shoes were going to be acceptable and definitely no trainers/vans/converse.
He said that teachers would be stood at the gates inspecting uniforms on the first day and any pupil dressed incorrectly would be sent home. He made a joke that he didn’t care if he was in the papers for sending 50 kids home on the first day, every parent was given a uniform booklet with photographs of acceptable shoes.

I like those Angry Angel ones.

Doesn't this a thread go to show the extent of which schools want control?
Kind of.

The thing is most parents (and staff) are totally and utterly reasonable. They see 'plain black leather school shoes.' and they will buy a pair of appropriate shoes. Sure, some might have a tiny fabric label but it's bloody obvious to anyone with an ounce of sense that it's a plain black school shoe in the spirit of the rule.

Then you have the minority (and in some schools it is a sizeable minority or even a majority). They see 'plain black leather school shoes' and decide it means their child can have black trainers, or black non leather shoe, or black leather trainer with branding down the side of it'. When the school rightly says They aren't school shoes, minority parents get fuming and start saying 'but all those otjer kids have a tiny little label on so my child should have their clearly ridiculous shoes allowed'.

And so the school decides that blanket picky no branding at all is the new rule.

Same for boots. You, me and most of the thread know that in the winter a pair of leather boots is probably a much better footwear choice than shoes. But you'll get some fools who think that they can send their child in in ugg boots and then argue the toss (like all the 'I'm fuming' school threads). So the blanket rule is no boots.

The longer I'm in schools, the more I've come to realise that excessively specific and prescriptive uniform is done to cater to the lowest denominator.

"The longer I'm in schools, the more I've come to realise that excessively specific and prescriptive uniform is done to cater to the lowest denominator."

Sadly, I think you are right.

The longer I'm in schools, the more I've come to realise that excessively specific and prescriptive uniform is done to cater to the lowest denominator

Where we live we have 2 shop choices. These shops don't sell the shoes the school requires (shocking considering the number of school children who live here)
There is one uniform selling shop (m&s) and another you can order from.

Neither sell the required shirts.

This is the frustration of Heads teachers dictation the uniform rules for items we can't buy. I'd quite like to take HT shopping and see how he fairs.
We adhere to the rules where possible. It's just not always possible.

LoniceraJaponica
People don't realise just how ridiculous the minority are.
Years ago, I had a meeting with SLT, parent and child about uniform. On a regular basis we could see the child's pants and her attitude was awful and rude to staff when challenged.
Parents sat in that meeting and told us rolling skirts up is part of being a teen (true!) but there's not a lot they can do because the skirt is at her knees when she leaves the house. We got the child to roll the skirt down. It was no more than 2 inch below her bum!
And suddenly everything made sense. The child had just seen her parents outright lie to staff.

When you see ridiculously picky uniforms or single supplier (usually stupidly priced with hideous trousers for girls) it's probably because of those types. It's not that teachers want to be controlling.

GreenTulips
That's ridiculous.
How can they not stock local uniform?
We have 2 shops that are just uniform stockists and they sell every item of school branded clothing/school specific requirements. Anything else the schools accept from wherever as long as it follows the rules.

No boots allowed at my DDs school. (Or trousers for girls that matter.)

My DD is 11 and starting Year 7 this time. She has the same shoes but the patent version and she loves them.

I wasn't sure and the Clarks lady said she'd sold loads of them to high school girls.

Hope that helps.

MaisyPops

I know it's a pain

They have recently banned the tube belt skirts and gone for pleated.

Fine if we can buy them.

Shop full of tube skirts - there are some tulip skirts and pencil skirts but they don't adhere to school policy.

It's no wonder parents get frustrated

My dd is just into year 10. She and most of her friends have Clark’s brogues.

Ds1 dragged me round the shoe shops or Stockport looking for acceptable sliders last week. There were hordes of young women buying Kickers shoes for back to school. I've ended up buying him Kangol lace ups from sports direct which at least meet the school's petty and precious standards and aren't completely repulsive to ds1!

GreenTulips
Shops don't help in my opinion.
Every secondary in our area says plain white school shirt yet lots of shops offer fashion shirts with no buttons from the cleavage upwards in the school section. Last year I saw a peplum skirt being marketed to primary children.

The thing is parents like you will follow uniform, but the shops must make a huge amount of money from pester power and claims that 'all the other kids are wearing...'

To me school uniform is quite simple to stock (at least it was when I was at school) pair of black trousers in a cut of your choice but not super baggy (super skinny wasn't a trend), white shirt not skin tight and must have buttons to the top, sensible black shoes and the school tie/jumper.

Mine wears DMs, terrific shoes.

I agree Maisy

When DD was in lower school I could not find a knee length skirt anywhere, yet school insisted that short skirts were not allowed.

Those shoes look spot on to me. Exactly the type my daughter and her school friends wear. She’s never been teased for her shoes. I’m a bit at the clarks employee for suggesting this might be the case.

My old secondary has a tartan kilt. They recently introduced trousers for the first time.....in the same tartan. Not sure how popular they are going to be

Asked DD, 15 (just going into yr11) and she says at her school these would be laughed at, however our school, though strict on the rest of the uniform, is not as strict on shoes. Trainers and boots not allowed however ballet flats are allowed and these are what are popular at her school. Not all schools allow these though.