To be cross that all boys' school shoes are basically black trainers?

[Shoppingwithmother]

Just doing some preliminary looking for school shoes before DS starts school for first time. Seems that almost all the available shoes are just actually black leather trainers. Have DD already at school so used to getting school shoes for her.

Why does it seem that the manufacturers think that there should be loads of choice of smart shoes for girls, but boys should just wear trainers all the time - or have a choice of literally 1 or 2 styles of actual shoe. Surely not all boys spend all day running around and have to wear trainers all the time??

DS's new school stipulates not trainer-style, so presumably they'll all have to turn up in the exact same shoes!

The trouble with Kickers is they stink!

My DDs have both had Kickers, in the past, (to try to avoid crappy Mary Jane type shoes, or worse! ballet flats) and they really do become much stinkier than any other shoes they've ever had.

If you do get kickers, spray them every day with foot deoderant stuff, and air them well.

I haven't found that at all and my boys are going into year7. Start rite has hoards of diff styles. I've never bought trainers.They are black because schools request black.

Some are like trainers and it's no bad thing have you seen what boys can do to school shoes after playing football in them every day for a week but there are plenty of styles that don't look like trainers in both Clarks and Startrite.

I've found the opposite. I really wanted the trainer type but had to get the horrible leather ones. My Dcs only wear them outdoors and then trash them by playing football at playtime.

I bought my dsbeautiful kicker shoes for school. Cost a fortune. I polished them every night.
By half term they were fucked
The awful trainer ones as awful as they are, are the only ones that have survived. He doesn't play football at lunch either.

I think the girls choice is rubbish as well. I got DD1 a traditional pair of school shoes last year and by the time she had walked to school her feet were soaking (no pavement in places and the grass on the verge was longish and wet with dew). Ended up talking her to school in wellies. They have to change into plimsolls at school anyway so it was a waste of a pair of shoes.

This year I am sending her to school in Doc Martins....

We have bought geox after recommendations from friends they aren't trainer like but I expect him to grow out of them before trashing him as his feet hadn't grown for a year so am sure we will have a growth spurt shortly