To think they should wear shoes inside school? Do yours?

[Shutupanddrive]

DS managed to break his big toe yesterday in school when a shelf fell on it! Also a very nasty gash, I had to take him to a&e. I realise accidents happen, and the school was very apologetic etc etc.
I assumed he had his shoes on at the time, but have since discovered that he was just in his socks and that they are all in just their socks all day! I didn't know anything about this, and tbh think it's a stupid idea. What about when they go to the toilet? Not very hygienic in socks. Will take it up with school on Monday. Any advice, comments appreciated, thankyou

socks are slippier than shoes so more chances of sliding and falling and toes have no protection either. I wouldnt want to go out in the wet and cold with just socks on and my 2 arent allowed outside in just socks as the socks get ruined. I would rather they had bare feet than wet dirty socks

It is a bit weird to just let them be in socks all day. Far more likely to slip I would have thought (corridors etc are unlikely to be carpeted) and that is also where kids are more tempted to run. Also you put clean socks on them and then they run round in them all day and get them filthy dirty. Especially if the school specifies white socks - you'd be forever trying to wash the muck off them.
Indoor shoes or slippers I get. Socks, I don't.

DS and DD have outdoor shoes and indoor shoes - they wear plimmies inside ( well, DS does as those are 'the rules'... DD doesn't as they feel funny...)

The school I work in has an indoor/outdoor shoe rule. I am forever sending children back to classrooms to put on shoes as I catch them about to go into the loos in their socks... bleugh!

Reception age - DD changes into plimsoles for indoor activities on arrival at school. Shoes for outside at lunchtime and breaks.

I definitely think they should be wearing shoes.

I used to help out occassionally in school and there was one child who didn't wear his shoes and other children used to swing back on their chairs so that the front legs were off the floor. I always winced in case the metal chair legs went down on his feet.

I did mention it once to the teacher but he didn't seem very concerned.

What if they were to tread on a pin or staple or something, ouch! Id complain to the school!

Most offices I have worked in won't allow people to wander around in just socks. H&s - slips and trips, things falling on your feet etc.

Seems a bit mad they let kids wear just socks.

dcs primary school have carpets throughout and it's not unusual to see kids in slippers or socks. It seems to be up to the class teachers, but has been to tackle mud being traipsed through the carpets as kids sit on them during circle time. Also a number of kids still get sent in to school in varying ridiculous shoes, like high heels, slip ons and ugg style boots which have often seen better days and are death traps. I don't mind my kids tripping round in their socks at all, but I think it's important parents are aware this happens!

We have carpets throughout. And every child wears their school shoes. They only change into plimsols/trainers when they have PE.
In the winter the children might come in wellies and bring something to change into, but that is usually their school shoes again.

But they do it in Finland so it must be good, mustn't it?

So carpet is more important than kids feet?! Ffs it is easy to clean carpet during each half terms/ school break. It is not easy to pad around in plimsolls which provide zero support for feet, they are like bloody flippers to someone like me (skinny feet, high arches).

Schools need to wake up, parents are not flush and 2 or as I see above 3 daily pairs of shoes for growing feet is just beyond the pale.

As for the fire alarm, good point. So there is a fire, you file out in socks, stand around, it is wet underfoot, cold, then what...? We wouldn't do this in my office (carpeted) so I wouldn't inflict it on a bloody child. Yes all this stiff upper lip English shit is good and well on a forum, but I'm reality it means kids with broken toes and fucking cold feet. So glad the school I have chosen for DD has some common sense.

It's a health and safety issue as you and your DS found out -- they need to be wearing covered toe shoes, even lightweight ones.

I wore indoor and outdoor shoes in primary school in Ireland. The DCs in elementary school in the US could wear trainers with their uniform. Their feet didn't sweat as long as they showered a few times a week and wore clean socks daily. Colour had to be predominantly white but after that I was free to spend as little as I could get away with. I only needed to buy one pair of trainers each. They often wore snowboots in winter and the corridor would be lined with boots set on old newspaper outside each student's locker.

Mine have to change into slippers/plimsolls in the cloakroom.

Thanks for replies. Their socks are grey but quite thin so I would imagine their feet getting cold, I know mine would. I think we should at least have the option of letting them wear slippers or similar or even those thicker slipper socks with the grips on.
Feet could also quite easily get caught under chairs too and cause a nasty injury as someone else pointed out.

I was on teaching practise in a school that had a 'shoes off indoors' policy - it smelt awful.

Never been in one since though, so uncommon, I think.

I think it is weird to have to wear shoes indoors. Surely shoes are for outdoors?
At home do you wear your shoes?

We are overseas and in an affluent rural, laid back location. Here the children often don't wear any shoes or take them off during the school day. Lost property always seems to contain a significant number of shoes as they may wear them to school then take them off and forget they wore them in the first place. There doesn't seem to be any safety concerns or accidents/problems with this.

This was a bit strange to get used to, but my children now prefer the no shoes anywhere attitude- we have battles trying to get them to put shoes on as there are still plenty of places where they are needed!!!!!

My DS changes into sandshoes (plimsoles) for school, so the children aren't walking about in stiff hard (sometimes wet or muddy) school shoes all day and protects the carpets in the school too. I'm fine with it, I changed into sandshoes for school when I was young too, they're much comfier.

Just wearing socks though, I'm not sure if I'd be ok with that.

I went to a primary school with a no shoes inside rule. It was a bit odd at first as I grew up with shoes on in the house. Our shoes were in the corridor outside the class, I can not remember anything about toilets at school but I guess we went in our socks, can't remember what we did with fire drills either .

School now closed and abandoned so not possible to check. Wonder if the carpets are still looking good...

We're in Germany & the children used to wear slippers at primary school.

Although most lessons were in their classroom-teachers came to them.

They only moved for music & sport.

But it's been shoes on since secondary.