£38 Clark's echoes or £12 Asda ones?

[Florencenotflo]

Dd starts school in September. Just working out roughly how much money I need to put aside for uniform.

Dd is very heavy on her feet and goes through shoes so quickly, she spends all winter in wellies because they seem to be the hardest wearing footwear I can find.

So is it worth spending £38 on Clark's shoes or £12 on ones from Asda. Do Clark's last any longer, are they any more hard wearing?

I was going to recommend start rite as well seem super tough... Clarke's a bit hit and miss style wise .. they don't suit narrow feet .... We always regretted cheap shoe buying...

I always got Ecco shoes at the outlet. DS went thru anything else in a few months. These lasted all year.

Try m&s. They do a patent style with a rubber toe bumper and a velcro strap. Very pretty but my daughter lasted right up to when schools shut in them from September and still had life left. In reception she managed to go through the toes of Doc marten ankle boots!! At four!! They're about 22 pounds from memory

Dd is massively hard wearing on shoes. I brought her treads at the end of last summer after having to replace shoes by the end of each term her first 2 years in school. Highly recommend if your daughter's feet are big enough. Dual size so should last longer with the removal of one of the insoles. Come with a years guarantee. Hers still look new after almost 2 terms wear. She has awkward shaped feet with a very high instep so I could never get her into supermarket shoes.

Generally speaking I say get the best you can afford BUT bear in mind she'll likely outgrow them by half term at her age even if she hasn't hammered them!

That said I was saying the same about my dd at the same age, I was on a very tight budget and it drove me nuts that shoes never lasted more than 5-6 weeks max until they were utterly wrecked and I'm ashamed now to say I did blame her and tell her off for not taking more care because...

...it turned out she has EDS! A disability which in her case has also resulted in flat feet and very poor ankle joints.

By the time she was at high school stage we had to get special permission so she wasn't required to wear formal shoes and could wear all black trainers instead (it was a battle!)

So please bear in mind there may be an underlying cause and keep an eye?

Im not keen on Clarks shoes - for the price I haven't found they last any longer or fit any better than supermarket shoes. However I can really recommend these from M&S
www.marksandspencer.com/kids-leather-school-shoes-8-small-1-large-/p/clp60163725?color=BLACK

My dd2 actually outgrows these shoes before wearing them down or breaking straps etc & she's wearing a single pair for almost a whole school year. They have a toe bumper & several styles are available with the toe bumper.

For teenage DD we bit the bullet & bought her Doc Martens boots rather than shell out for new school shoes (adult prices) every few months. Im hoping now that these last her for the next 3-4 years.

Clarkes 100%. It’s extremely important for young children to have very good quality properly fitting shoes as their feet are growing and forming. School
Shoes are worn for so many hours. It’s one think you should never scrimp on IMO. Asda shoes are fine for a spare in case the main ones get wet or need a clean for a day but her main shoes should be properly fitted and checked by a trained shoe fitter!

Kickers

But then i never found Clark's lasted.

Clark’s shoes can be very stiff - both my kids have had their feet mangled by certain models - usually the sandals. Also, I found if you get measured they will fit to the smallest size possible I.e. with not much room for growth - very expensive if you need to go up a half size every half term. Diechmann is a good alternative if you want a cheaper price point but with good wear and tear. I think with Kids shoes it’s just difficult to say that one brand is good - it’s best to shop around - Asda will sometimes come up trumps with a cheap shoe that fits rather than Clarks and it’s very limited (and very stereotypically gendered) ranges.

Thanks for the help! The school website just says black shoes, doesn't mention any exclusions. Dd goes to the nursery in the school so we queue with year R to go in, they seem to have quite a relaxed uniform policy. Dd would prefer boots for winter but I'll check with school later in the year about that. At the moment I couldn't see any on the Clark's website with toe bumpers for girls.

I'll take her to get measured next month then and see what they have in store and take a look at the outlet as well.

I like those @shazshaz they look comfy.

My daughter is very hard on her shoes, she climbs, rides bikes, walks through mud etc. She wears these from M&S. They are the only shoes that have lasted the whole school year, and they keep her feet dry. I don't know why other girls shoes are not designed to keep their feet dry, she jumps in puddles and still has dry feet in these! I don't buy Clarks anymore, they don't last. My other daughter wears Startrite brogues, which also last well.

www.marksandspencer.com/kids-leather-riptape-school-shoes-8-small-1-large-/p/clp60163734?color=BLACK

I found startrite and hush puppies much harder wearing than clarks for about the same price, better choice in widths as well.

Clarks are over priced and last less than a term in our case. Always get scuffed so quickly and my DH spends far more time polishing them than a pair from Asda which seem to last longer.

Clarks school shoes have never lasted either of my DC.

ASDA boys' shoes were indestructible but the material felt hard.

Kickers for DD and Geox for DS is the winning combo here

Have a look at the Sainsbury’s toe zone range.

Have always had Clark's leather shoes for my girls. Only ever had one issue where the strap broke. The shop exchanged them no problems. I think patent look tatty very quickly. They seem to be quite slow growing so we usually get a year out of them.

I would echo what has previously been said about buying higher quality if you can.

But I am not rushing to buy school shoes yet. Going to ask DC's school next week if they are going to be in uniform in September (if they know). DD is currently back at school in own clothes and trainers.

No not Clarks, Geox, start-rite, Petasil - similar prices but last way longer