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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

or is the school?

67 replies

advisemewisely · 26/09/2012 09:20

dd had a problem with her ankle joint, they cause her alot of pain. she is under the hospital for physio and has specialy made shoe inserts to correct the way her foot sits in her shoe. she also has very flat feet and instep.
on monday it was pissing it down and she went to school wearing boots very similar to these www.deichmann.com/GB/en/shop/home-girls/home-girls-shoes/00009001058340/Long%20Leg%20Boot.prod?r=5&c=3&filter_brand=all&filter_color=all&filter_padding=all&filter_size=all&orderby=topseller&st=PRODUCT&filter_cat=home-girls/home-girls-shoes/home-girls-shoes-boots
buy the come to calf height.
she wore them with trousers, so you couldnt see that they were boots until she was getting changed for pe.
i got a call from the school saying i had to take her another pair of shoes as these were not suitable for school. i said no, i was at work.
now when we go to the hospital for fittings, we take all her shoes, so we know that the inserts wont rub, fit well and do their job. wellies are crap on her, they dont support her foot or ankle at all. and so when it rains so she needs to wear boots, she cant just take the inserts out and put them in her new shoes very easily, they are tight to get in and hurt if not put in really well).
I've told the school that if its raining or cold she will be wearing her boots. they say if she is wearing boots they will make her stay in at break as a punishment for not wearing correct uniform.
who is BU?

OP posts:
Original poster
advisemewisely · 26/09/2012 09:40

Can't she take her normal school shoes in a bag and change into them when she arrives? I understand the need to keep her feet dry on the walk to school, but presumably those wearing wellies for the walk change into their school shoes once they arrive, so why can't your DD do the same?

ive already said. she has 1 pair of inserts, she cant change them from one pair of shoes to another very easily. if she walks to school, 1.5 miles, without the inserts she is in pain. if she spends the day without the inserts, she is in pain.
the inserts are TIGHT in any shoes, they are hard to get in comfertably, if they are slighlty off the rub her feet so much they bleed. i am trying to help her learn to change them but she is 8 and not sure of doing it alone yet.

OP posts:
Pooka · 26/09/2012 09:41

Oh - well at our school the kids don't get changed into wellies or boots for play. So if it's sodden outside, it's a wet play regardless of whether pouring or not.

Nowhere to store spare footwear.

Parents are to,d to take this into account when buying footwear - so dd has 'fuller' shoes rather than Mary Jane or strappier styles so that if she is out when splashy, her feet don't get wet. Ditto ds1.

ByTheWay1 · 26/09/2012 09:42

My daughter has excessive overpronation due to flat feet - causes ankle trouble and has orthotics fitted by the NHS

You need to get more than one pair of inserts.... if these inserts are provided by the NHS you can have 2 pairs...

Also - if her feet are getting wet in shoes take the shoes back! A decent pair of lace up shoes (what she needs to be wearing for foot trouble - Mary Janes/slip ons etc just do not hack it) should be waterproof.

The school will be used to about a quarter of the parents having a "special case" for wearing something different and will sort out those who genuinely require special treatment through a doctors recommendation.

Original poster
advisemewisely · 26/09/2012 09:43

i tried to get her shoes that are closed in, but they are really limited, brogue types are no good cause of her foot shape, and she needs the extra space to be able to fit the insert in under her foot already.

OP posts:
OddGoldBoots · 26/09/2012 09:43

Would those saying to change into shoes at school suggest a child removes any other medical device for school just for the sake of a uniform rule based on looks not practicality? How about glasses, all these children wearing glasses don't look the same as the other children, maybe they should only wear them to and from school?

Pooka · 26/09/2012 09:45

Do you walk with her? Can you do it for her when you get there?

Original poster
advisemewisely · 26/09/2012 09:45

bytheway
which shoes have worked for you?

she has ones a bits like these

www.clarks.co.uk/p/20349981
( cant find the exact ones)

at the moment, having the extra strapping helps hold her foot a bit more stable.

OP posts:
OddGoldBoots · 26/09/2012 09:47

Sorry, I have read the OP again and I have jumped too easily in my last post, it's a touchy subject for me (I had a battle to wear boots for work as I have an AFO for foot drop). Sorry again.

YouOldSlag · 26/09/2012 09:49

It's not clear from your OP whether or not the school is fully informed of the medical reasons. If they are not, then they are probably just following school procedure.

If they HAVE been fully informed then they are being unreasonable. I am sure a face to face chat with the Head will sort this out for you.

Hopeforever · 26/09/2012 09:50

I found Clarks a complete waste of time for DD, this make, found in independent kids shoe shops much better

www.toughschoolshoes.co.uk/girlsschoolshoes.html

WelshMaenad · 26/09/2012 09:50

School is BU.

Dd wears a DAFO, and also has a 2" lift applied to her right shoe, and it's really hard to find suitable shoes that will fit over the orthotic, and accommodate the adaptation. If these boots work for your dd she should be allowed to wear them, I presume the extra height also provides additional support for her ankles too?

I would request a meet with the head and remind him if his responsibility to make 'reasonable adjustments' under the Equality Act. Involve the board if governors if you need to.

noblegiraffe · 26/09/2012 09:54

I don't understand why your DD needs to wear boots to school when it's raining, I teach secondary and we don't have kids turn up to school in boots in the rain. They just wear normal shoes.

Surely the solution is to make sure she has decent shoes to walk in that don't get her feet wet?

Original poster
advisemewisely · 26/09/2012 09:56

hope its not those exact ones, clarks ones dont fit her, but those are the nearest in style i can find.

the school know, i had to take her out on the 3rd day to get them, i also went in and spoke to the teachers as for a few days they were really hurting her, as they change the position of her foot and were totally alien to her.

im just pissed off , the poor kid had to wear ortho shoes when she first started school and that was pointed out, they moaned when she needs time off for hospital apps and compain that she wont join in as much as they like in running, but it hurts as she has to wear normal trainers with no inserts to do it!

OP posts:
StanleyLambchop · 26/09/2012 09:56

If this is a medical condition then the school are BU. She should be entitled to 'reasonable adjustments' to allow her to attend school as normal. Ask to see a copy of the school's Equalities Policy. She should not be put at a disadvantage (ie chronic pain all day if she can't wear the boots) because of a medical condition.

financialwizard · 26/09/2012 09:57

As a matter of interest does the school have a care plan in place for your daughter? Surely there is something that can be referred to (for PE and such like).

WelshMaenad · 26/09/2012 09:58

Because as gas been pointed out a multitude of times, noble, finding shoes that fit orthotics and are also watertight is nigh on ducking impossible. The only shoes that fit over DD's orthotic are Mary Jane style (useless in wet) or a certain brand of trainer style walking shoe.

If these things get wet, they run badly, and when they rub, they literally rip your flesh apart. Dd has a scar still from her most recent one just rubbing for the first few hours till we padded it.

Original poster
advisemewisely · 26/09/2012 09:58

stanley its not the boots she needs, its the inserts, BUT she doesnt have the option of wearing wellies and changing, and if she wears school shoes by the time she gets there her feet and inserts are soaked.

OP posts:
Original poster
advisemewisely · 26/09/2012 10:00

welsh at the moment she has big burst blister patches when look horrible and hurt like mad, im using surgical spirit to try and harden that area, but do you know anything else i can do?
sorry to quiz you.

OP posts:
WilsonFrickett · 26/09/2012 10:01

As others have said, school have to make reasonable adjustments to allow DCs to access their education. You need to go and see the head and remind them of their legal responsibilities.

seeker · 26/09/2012 10:01

Can't you change her inserts over for her when you get to school?

UnChartered · 26/09/2012 10:01

your DD has blisters?

what from?

seeker · 26/09/2012 10:01

Sorry- ignore me. Just read the tread properly.

Pooka · 26/09/2012 10:02

It seems to be the journey to school that is the prob in terms of foot wetness, rather than break times.

Do you take her to school? Can you change the inserts then?

WelshMaenad · 26/09/2012 10:03

Yikes, if they are rubbing that badly, go back to Orthoticsczns ask them to check the fit. Are they rubbing at the edge, or in the middle? (Does that make sense??).

DD's DAFO rubs at the top on her calf. We had some sticky back felt left from when she had her Botox done and they lined the back half of her cast to use as a night splint, and that worked really well to stop the rubbing. If you pm me your address I'll send you a bit if you want to try it!

Original poster
advisemewisely · 26/09/2012 10:03

unchartered
in inserts go under her foot then up the inside, they make her foot sit normally
www.littleniggle.com/item/34lengthinsoles_TalarMadeTrio34Insoles_39_4_37_1.html
a bit like this, but they go up higher.
they are only a couple of weeks old, so her foot has to get used to them, so they have rubbed. ive spoken to the hospital and they say its normal.

OP posts:
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