Would your school (primary ) accept these shoes?

[MrsBDarcy]

I had to buy these yesterday along with several other parents due to lack of options (3 shops tried) and huge queues at Clarks and unable to get to any other shops. Son's inside insole wore through rendering his current shoes super uncomfortable despite still looking ok. I'm hoping school don't say they're too trainer-ish as I can't afford to buy more and son was asked to make sure he got new shoes at weekend after he wore trainers on Friday. Help me have a polite response ready to say these are what he'll be wearing for a while ?

Trainers would it be acceptable in an office so should not be acceptable in a school.

I haven't worked anywhere for years where trainers are not acceptable.

Yes but we are allowed plain black trainers

I've worn trainers in the office. And walking boots. Some people walk around in flip flops in the summer. And if my primary school aged child was given 3 days after school detention for wearing the "wrong shoes" he would not be attending that school any more.

@dementedpixie

The schools my DC attend all have zero tolerance approaches to all behaviour issues. If a DC or parent are not prepared to support the school's policies, they are told in no uncertain terms that their needs would be better met elsewhere.

Behaviour is excellent as everyone knows where they stand and no excuses are accepted. There is no 'I forgot my jumper' ir 'I forgot to tuck my shirt in'. Infractions are dealt with as agreed by parents in the school's policy documents.

Dressing smartly associates school with work. Certain clothes are appropriate for work and others are not. Trainers would it be acceptable in an office so should not be acceptable in a school.

I wear trainers to work - in a school! As do many of my colleagues

[quote SpringTides5]@dementedpixie

The schools my DC attend all have zero tolerance approaches to all behaviour issues. If a DC or parent are not prepared to support the school's policies, they are told in no uncertain terms that their needs would be better met elsewhere.

Behaviour is excellent as everyone knows where they stand and no excuses are accepted. There is no 'I forgot my jumper' ir 'I forgot to tuck my shirt in'. Infractions are dealt with as agreed by parents in the school's policy documents.
[/quote]
Is it a school or a detention centre?
Sounds joyless.

Yes, but they're allowed trainers as long as they're plain black, so not useful. They look more shoe than trainer like to me

I work in a global top 20 pharmaceutical company and 90% of us wear jeans and runners in the office pretty much most of the year. We're no allowed flip flops or sandals or heels over an inch high.

My dcs school is a catholic school and they don't care what the children wear on their feet.

Thank god!!

We are being a bit lax on shoes at the moment. The HT feels that parents have had enough to deal with recently to have an additional stress of paying out for expensive shoes, if they've lost their job.
That said, most are wearing proper black ones, but we're not currently chasing up those who aren't.

[quote SpringTides5]@dementedpixie

Yes- it does impair their ability to learn. All the research shows that strict school uniform policies leas to better outcomes in school.

Dressing smartly associates school with work. Certain clothes are appropriate for work and others are not. Trainers would it be acceptable in an office so should not be acceptable in a school.

The DCs' schools all have very strict policies on uniform. Parents and DC know this when they attend the school. Anyone wearing those trainers would be sent straight to the head. They'd be sent home to change and would receive 3 days' of after school detention for a first offence.[/quote]
Utter bullocks about uniform leading to better outcomes.

@MrsBDarcy. Stop borrowing trouble! Don't give it another thought unless the contact you, at which point tell them after hours of online & in person shopping (during a bloody pandemic & shortages in stock due to shopping hold ups & possibly Brexit) they were the very best you could get. They're shoes, not trainers and you cannot afford to replace them until he grows out of them.

Don't waste money on ordering others. They're decent enough black shoes for a young child, it's not like you sent him in glittered covered flashing lights & stiletto heals fgs.

[quote SpringTides5]@dementedpixie

The schools my DC attend all have zero tolerance approaches to all behaviour issues. If a DC or parent are not prepared to support the school's policies, they are told in no uncertain terms that their needs would be better met elsewhere.

Behaviour is excellent as everyone knows where they stand and no excuses are accepted. There is no 'I forgot my jumper' ir 'I forgot to tuck my shirt in'. Infractions are dealt with as agreed by parents in the school's policy documents.
[/quote]
There's a difference though between deliberately breaking rules and literally having a choice between sending your child into school or keeping them home for a week for shoes

They look absolutely fine to me - and would certainly have been acceptable when my DS was in primary school (in the 80s/90s).

Have schools really become so pernickety about uniform that these types of shoes would be deemed inappropriate? If so, then I think that's ridiculous!

When my DS started school, all his school jumpers were hand knitted ones, in the school colour. There was no specific brand or make of jumper required, it just had to be red, so everyone was slightly different. It made it easier for the children (and staff!) to identify which jumper belonged to which child, for a start!
Shirts had to be grey but it didn't matter what shade of grey and they could be plain, striped or checked just as long as the predominant colour was grey. I think I got DS's from the charity shop or maybe a jumble sale!

Primary or secondary?

@cheeseychovolate

Primary or secondary?

It says primary in the title

Primary or secondary?

It's there, right in the title!

@midnightstar66

Teachers and staff would not be allowed to wear trainers at the DCs' schools. It's suits for male teachers and smart blouse and jacket or a smart dress for the females.

It's about inculcating a culture of high expectations throughout the school. Allowing staff and DC to turn up dressed for the beach screams low standards and low expectations.

God I'm glad my kids go to a primary school where the leadership is sensible about these matters. Those shoes would be perfectly acceptable here. Shocking that other schools would consider them otherwise!

Those would be fine at my son's school.
I personally think at primary school the uniform should be sweatshirt, polo shirt and joggers with trainers for all (including girls) - comfortable and practical so they can concentrate on learning and running about, not what they look like. There seem to be loads of girls that can't really run around the playground properly because they rip their tights and fall over in their flimsy shoes, and worry about doing handstands because their knickers will be on show- imo that's teaching them that what they look like is more important than having the freedom to climb and jump and use their bodies every way they can. And arguing that strict uniform for young children is good preparation for when they're an adult and work in an office is ridiculous.

@SpringTides5 you must realise that you are only speaking your own school though? Is this really a state primary though that you are discussing?

@SpringTides5 I feel very sorry for your dc. The world is changing all around them and they are being left behind in this idea that smart dress means you work harder?! High expectations? More like ridiculous expectations! Even our site head wears jeans 3-4 days a week 🙄 this is a guy who earns 200k+

Secondary - no
Primary - yes I think so

[quote SpringTides5]@midnightstar66

Teachers and staff would not be allowed to wear trainers at the DCs' schools. It's suits for male teachers and smart blouse and jacket or a smart dress for the females.

It's about inculcating a culture of high expectations throughout the school. Allowing staff and DC to turn up dressed for the beach screams low standards and low expectations.[/quote]
Our school teaches outdoors in the school woods. Children play outside at break and lunch in all weathers.
Our children and teachers are dressed for inside and outdoor full body learning (this is primary school) not for sitting in formal boardrooms.

(We don’t have a beach in walking distance but if we did I’d hope they’d be down there regularly too!)

OP have you seen the comments that primary can't enforce uniform? Because it's true: they can't. Please don't worry.

All the research shows that strict school uniform policies leas to better outcomes in school.

It doesn't show anything of the sort. This is horseshit.

These would be acceptable in both the local primary and secondary because they're plain black.

Fortunately both schools are run by normal people who want kids to learn within a reasonable structure rather than to ostracise them for not quite perfect interpretations of the school dress code.

Hope your son doesn't get into trouble over such a silly thing MrsBDarcy

Yes it's a state academy primary @midnightstar66. All DC are expected to be in shirt, tie, blazer, jumper, smart trousers/skirt, smart socks and smart black school shoes. Both coats and bags must be school logo ones.

Uniform is also expected to be worn properly- top buttons done up, shirts tucked in, blazer and jumper on at all times unless teacher gives permission to remove, shoes polished.

It's great! It helps to ensure a culture or high standards and high expectations. There are very rarely any uniform issues as all parents and DC accept and understand the expectations.