What do you do when your child grows out of school shoes

[Dollenganger333]

With half a term left? I’m thinking I’ll just buy new ones. Cheap shoes not an option unfortunately.

Because the second they are behind a keyboard they become so brave. My comment above was in jest but the replies were as expected.

Also shoe zone to fill the gap is fine! Not sure why you feel this is unacceptable. It’s what I have always done. Mine have all survived. Trust me you have years of £80 trainers and very similar price school shoes to come.

It’s because my dd has very high insteps so I find buying cheap shoes is never an option.

Yeah, you can’t have a normal conversation on MN any more without some people being nasty for the sake of it.

@setmestraightplease was not being aggressive.

I disagree! It’s aggressive to suggest that I was going to just let her suffer when I inferred no such thing in my OP. In fact, I said the opposite. So many high conflict people on here atm.

We just buy when needed and don’t buy new for September unless of course they are needed.

I check out the Clarks Outlet store on a regular basis. DD has narrow heels but needs a wide toebox and Clarks fit the bill perfectly. Her last pair from the outlet were only about £20 so not really any cheaper than lots of the supermarket options but a much better fit.

Do buy for your child to make so they all ways fit but don't forget charitable giving if you can still do that .

I’d buy new shoes for a child as and when they need them, irrespective of term times

Ah fair enough. I’m glad mine have always been pretty standard fit. It’s always been a Sunday night my kids have said their shoes are feeling tight. Many Mondays I’ve spent dashing into Shoe Zone to last till the next half term/holiday!

I read this thread and rolled my eyes. There was a time you could ask for advice on here. It’s become a joke because of some posters.

I’ve always found school very understanding regarding school shoes and an emergency pair as needed.

Buy new shoes. They may still fit in the fall, they may not. Just buy new shoes when they are needed, not on an arbitrary schedule.

This is why I’m glad my dc’s school lets them wear whatever footwear they want! I just buy new trainers as and when they need. They only ever have one or two pairs on the go at a time

Trainers. I have this problem regularly, and although they wouldn’t usually accept them, our primary lets trainers pass for the last few weeks of term.

We've always bought new shoes when needed - sometimes there's not long left and they might not fit after the holidays but that's tough. In that case we put them in the clothing donation bin or if still in good condition sell them on for a token price.

The black patent lelli Kelly sound fine for school - let her wear them? It's about having shoes that fit surely not specifically dedicated school shoes. My ds often has black trainers types because other types don't last long anyway. Dd is older - her tastes are now eye watering expensive!

id buy some asda shoes. I’ve found those the best out of Clark’s/M&S/other supermarkets. They fit well and last as well as anything else

Primary school- send in trainers.
Secondary- buy new and make sure there is room to grow, if in doubt, go up an extra half a size.

In primary, a quick word with the head usually allows them to wear trainers for this part of the year as it's a waste to buy brand new shoes to sit unused, and potentially grown out of until sept, and terrible from an environmental perspective to buy cheap and then buy again in August, even if that was feasible for OP's situation.
In high school, I'd not chance this, as they're totally OTT about policing uniform including blazers being worn in corridors in summer, but mercifully growth of feet shows down a bit!

@Dollenganger333 I genuinely don't understand why you think I was being aggressive? I was telling you how frustrated I was that I had to buy new shoes - for school or otherwise - every 3 months

You've now also said that 'She has some Lelli Kelly black patent pumps that fit so I was going to maybe let her wear those' so can I ask what the original problem was?? If she has shoes that fit, then surely let her wear them?

In my secondary school we usually have the odd message circulated at this time of year that a pupil is wearing trainers because they've outgrown their school shoes. Contact school and send him in wearing what you have.

We also have similar messages about school blazers or school skirt lengths. Parents want to buy things closer to September to avoid growing out of them over the summer holidays.

@Dollenganger333 It’s because my dd has very high insteps so I find buying cheap shoes is never an option - my DD had exactly the same issue, but I never had to ask for advice on whether or not to buy her new shoes

Why? Can you not genuinely afford them or something. I can't believe you're willing to send your kid to school in shoes that don't fit

Of course they don't need new every September! Feet don't always grow in a linear fashion. It can be easier to find shoes in the summer with all the back to school sales than in, say, December, but you can buy the next size up and if their shoes still fit then they can wear them until outgrown. Same with uniform.

This is how I did it when my kids were at school -they got what they needed, when they needed it. I even bought school shirts in June -and I’m in Scotland so they came off for the summer at the end of June! It just meant I did t need to buy them in August

Our primary would allow black trainers in that situation.

I've got this issue too - pita timing!

I buy them new school shoes (and uniform) when they need it not on an arbitrary date.

The exception being that I'm not buying any more stuff in Primary school colours for DD in Yr6. She has just had new blouses but they meet the Secondary school specification.