to not buy my children Clarks school shoes?

[MrsSocks]

I have always used Clarks for my DS as he has very wide feet and I struggle finding shoes elsewhere that he is comfy in and I believed them to be of better quality and durability than elsewhere.....however, he has completed 2 years of school and in that time has gone through 4 pairs of shoes, not because he has grown out of them but because they have literally fallen apart around his feet. The last pair in particular looked tatty and old almost as soon as I purchased them. I have also had to resort in buying half a size bigger than he measures each time (at Clarks's suggestion) as their widest width is still too narrow for him so feel the 'made to measure' advantage of Clarks shoes is somewhat defeated.

Now here I am again, looking at £40+ for Clarks school shoes for DS and DD, who starts in September, thinking there must be better and cheaper options! Where does everyone buy their school shoes from and how have they found them? I really want something of a good quality, good for their feet, that will actually last more than 5 minutes! I've been looking at Next, Marks and Spencer, Matalan, Asda, etc but would really love some idea of how they fair.......

Thank you

I think that one of the advantages of Startrite is that they tend to be sold by independent shoe shops, or the 'better' chains like Russell & Bromley, Jones etc. The fitters IME are much better, and because they have a range of brands available they aren't forced to 'make the shoe fit the foot', but rather look for the best option they have for the foot in front of them.

We landed on the Sherman / Warrior Startrites after a notable occasion on which poor DS tried on 12 styles of shoes in 3 different shoe shops, each of them not suiting his feet in a different way...

I have stuck with Clarks, every time I've veered off the path, I've not found them better. Startrite girls shoes are more substantial, but still scuffed hugely and looked scruffy. I've had plastic shoes (not leather) and they usually crack after a while and smell bad. I prefer leather shoes and so there's not that much choice for girls. I've got a year's worth of wear out of my older dd's Clarks this year, her feet had already grown a lot and then slowed down. My youngest had one pair of Clarks and one pair of Startrite, nothing in it, IMO.

What annoys me about many shoe shops for children is the way they bring out a selection and there are no prices on them! So you can't trick your DC into liking the most affordable one....you have to ask the price of each one...and the generally disinterested assistant is often not helpful at all.

next school shoes are pretty robust.
or if you don't mind spending 40£ for good shoes go to an independent store for european brands (geox, ricosta, ecco, elefanten).
you can also get lucky at deichman if you are confident about fitting it yourself.

TheWild, I agree that there is less in it for girls - for boys, Startrite are MUCH better, for girls, until they are old enough for brogue styles, there is very little in it.

I don't buy clarkes anymore. This last year my darling daughter went through 6 pairs of shoes. And I mean literally went through them. Holes in the sides, front, she tried boots, shoes, pumps, walking boots even.
What the hell do I buy her this year?? She's starting high school. Doc martens?? I doubt she'd wear them!

Paula, not sure how your children only wear school shoes for 2 hours a day - DS and DD are in them from 8 - 4.30 solidly each day, including a 2 mile walk and for DS some very full-on playground football! It was a bit longer in primary, when they stayed at after school club so were in them for 9 hours a day.

Reindeer, these:

Startrite / Angry Angels Impulsive
are the most robust we have ever had. Survived DD practising a tap solo all day, every day for months, including on a tarmac playground!

If you are in reach of potters bar, this shop is brilliant for proper fitting and a huge range of brands

www.precioussoles.co.uk

She hated them, I have to say - found them heavy and clumpy. If she fails to take care of her shoes - she has Startrite Burfords normally - i threaten her with the Angry Angels ones again. Usually does the trick....

My sons first year at school he had a pair of £40 Clarks shoes and by the second month the sticky strap wasn't sticking anymore.

Second year I got a £12 pair from Asda and they are still going strong!

Was really disappointed in Clarks. They aren't as good as when I was a kid.

Doc Martens always seem to be a good bet and now DD has stopped growing her feet I think I will go this way, we have had success with Hushpuppies for adult sized DS and did have a pair of Toughies for DD bought online... They are v helpful about sizing, free returns and stuff... They were really tough and she is super hard on shoes. Both DCs have v wide feet!

My tip for getting good Clarks shoes is never to get the ones with dolls in the heel. Rubbish, the insole moves forward over time. Ideally get patent for age 6-10, these last ages. I don't find them bad at all.

I've always been happy with Ricosta school shoes. Not cheap, but hard wearing and soft leather (my boys have narrow feet).

I get Clarks trainers for my DS2.

I bought Clarks boots for the winter and that was worth it. They cost £52, but the previous year we went through 4 x £15 cheap supermarket boots. Asda did a nice pair for £24 though. I bought Clarks shoes for the spring/summer terms and they lasted for weeks, still wearable now

I stuck with Clarks as DD has a wide fitting and a lot of shoes don't fit. The best cheap ones I did get though were from Tesco.

My friend buys Clarks from Brantano and says that they are cheaper.

Forgot to say that I think Clarks shoes are rubbish too and there are no options for older girls - agree with Milicent ricosta are fab and they certainly used to do styles suitable for wide feet when mine were younger.

Geox all the way here - last until they are outgrown, then either ebayed or charity shopped as still in a good condition. They are a bit more expensive - but buy in sale or new on ebay. Great for my DS's wide feet and breathable.

Clarks are crap and overpriced. I found their women's shoes the same.

I would also say that Clarks boots for girls are excellent for winter, my dd has had a brown pair of cowboy looking boots and they have gone through mud/snow/been completely wet as they played with the hose with them on, and have come up looking great. We bought the same pair a size up this year. I'm sure pale doll type shoes are rubbish, but some of the darker winter boots are fab.

Definitely rubbish for older girls though, the styles are definitely for younger ones, up to age 10 I would say.

We don't have wide feet to consider, but I find Clarks great. Dd9 and ds 6 both have them. Dd's pair lasted all year! She remained a size 1 and we had her measured a few times through the year. Granted, there was a small hole in the sole and the top were scuffed to bits but they survived a whole year! My ds is 'harder' on his shoes, but I find the traditional boy's shapes last well - bought in jan/feb and they're going strong - scuffs to toe leather but looking solid still.
Strange though, maybe some children are tougher on their shoes? Although my son comes out of school filthy and having footballed all playtime, so it's a bit of a mystery, really.....

We found reception was horrible on shoes. I think ds spent his days crawling around the playground as it was tops of shoes and knees of trousers that went! From year 1 everything we've tried has lasted fine. So it may get better whatever you get. We also like start-rite better but go to Jones for fitting and they sell a range of brands.

TOUGHEES

toughees.co/

Best shoes I have ever bought. We now buy them every year. One pair a year and they just keep on going. DD was once in a pair for 18 months and they still hadn't fallen apart by the time she outgrew them.

I have done Clarkes, Startrite, M&S, John Lewis, Geox and every other shoes you can think of and these are the best by a country mile. I promise.

miaow

We had a pair similar to those.

They end up like this

In one term if that