School has banned Kickers shoes! I have bought them for DS. AIBU to to let him wear them and start a fight with them if they try to sanction him?

[CarefulDriver]

DS is starting secondary school next week. The school uniform regulations on the school website dictate that they wear black shoes (no trainer like shoes). Fine.

I bought him a pair of Kickers as I wanted comfy shoes which will last him most of the year. I know from previous experience with DS1 and 2 that the ‘businessman’ style shoes don’t last if they’re playing footie at break! Most of the DCs at their school wore Kickers and so did they once I caught on.

Chatting to friend who’s DC is also going to the same school yesterday and apparently the school has banned shoes with visible branding on which Kickers have. This is not on the main school uniform webpage which is what I checked to get his uniform but on a sub page for new Yr7s which I had read but only skimmed over the uniform bit as assumed it was the same as the main page.

I spent £68 on shoes, which IMO are common school shoes, he may not now be able to wear. He won’t be wearing out of school either obviously! I got them online direct from Kickers with a 14 day return policy which has runout now.

WIBU to just send him in on his first day in them?

Ridiculous, Kickers are school shoes there is no child wandering around at weekends wearing black kickers through choice as casual shoes.

To the posters offering the OP advice: you're wasting your time. The OP isn't looking for a solution to a problem.

@FrippEnos

None of the male teachers have to wear a tie. The dress code is ‘dress suitably for work’.

The point about the shoes is being draconian benefits no one; no one reasonable can argue those are not suitable ‘black shoes’ for wearing to school.

Only on MN will people actually argue those shoes ‘aren’t black’ because of small green and red detailing.

You are free to hone Ed or send your child to a non school uniform school - list here
non school uniform thread

On come on Lightisnotwhite, as is illustrated by that thread, the amount of schools in the country that have a no uniform policy is minuscule. Only a tiny fraction of parents have any real chance of getting their kid a place at one. Home Ed is simply not practical or desirable for the majority either.

It’s therefore entirely reasonable for parents to query uniform policy at the school their kids are allocated a place at, if they think it’s OTT.

[quote CarefulDriver]Just looked at Treads, these are the only ones available in DS’s size but will they be classed as trainers do we think, despite clearly not being 🤔?

www.treads-shoes.com/boys/school-shoes/brooklyn[/quote]
Who honestly knows

This is bonkers, I don't know how parents deal with this nonsense.

I quite agree @Merryoldgoat - mine wore hand me downs throughout primary - and we were not strangers to the 2nd hand shop at their secondary schools.

My son teaches in Spain and the kids laugh at us with our petty uniforms.
Can you learn less effectively with a top button undone or a pair of branded shoes on your feet?

[quote CarefulDriver]Just looked at Treads, these are the only ones available in DS’s size but will they be classed as trainers do we think, despite clearly not being 🤔?

www.treads-shoes.com/boys/school-shoes/brooklyn[/quote]
Ask the school, not MN.

Merryoldgoat

None of the male teachers have to wear a tie. The dress code is ‘dress suitably for work’.

This is at your school, not all schools.

The only time teachers will look at the shoes will be during tutor/regitration time, the rest of the time we are too busy "making judgements" about the "feckless, uneducated poor" (according to a poster with a chip on their shoulder).

The only other time shoes will get noticed is if they really stand out, like the pink sparkly DMs mentioned upthread, why would you set a child up to be told off?

The truth of all this is that this will last about 2 weeks and then the SLT will move on to something else.

@biancadelrioisback @haveringwavering I see what you're both saying, although to me that wording is to emphasise black shoes not black trainers as I suspect many kids have been wearing black trainers previously. Then the new yr7 info contains an update to clarify the lack of logo as well but having two different uniform lists isn't ideal.

The school I mention did the same (black shoes not trainers) and then had to change it again to PLAIN black shoes just to avoid the permanent marker/Rockport logo scenario which is very similar to this one. Any ambiguity ends in tears and sad faces on the front of the local newspaper unfortunately!

Can't you just cut off the tag, or scribble over it with a black marker?

@Merryoldgoat

Just as an example of how some pupils and parents will always push against these rules.

At one school that I worked in the SLT relaxed the shoes rule to include black trainers, but no logos were allowed, it was plain and simple as per your request.

The amount parents that bought their children trainers with massive logos on the side was ridiculous.

@IamChipmunk

My school has similar rules on uniform. shoes have to be plain black. That means literally. I would advise cut the coloured tags off and colour the other bits in with a black sharpie. I will spend the first 2 days of the new school year phoning parents about 'incorrect' uniform and about 50% of them will argue with me and about 25% of them will shout and swear at me. It doesnt affect learning but its the specific rules of the school. I would love to say to parents if you dont like the rules choose another school but we are not allowed!!

I really wish my taxes weren't paying for you to spend two days wasting everyone's time.

You should be doing proper work.

This is common and to stop those that can’t afford it getting bullied. In practice, nobody follows it.

[quote CarefulDriver]These are the shoes. They are black shoes suitable for school. I haven’t bought any for a while so didn’t think about the name on the back as I know they are a common school shoe.

www.kickers.co.uk/reasan-lace-adult/11407711.html[/quote]
Ffs they're completely fine.

If youre worried why don't you call and ask? I imagine they'll have an inset before the start? And if not I don't think anyone will notice anyway! Madness.

As in madness if the school would have a problem with the shoes. Not your concerns are madness op!

Get your Daily Mail sad face ready.

I think you have to think that it could not be you that suffers from the uniform policy, however unfair you think it is, but your DC. So there blacking out or removal of branding seems the best thing to do.

Given all the publicity there has been in recent years about narrow and enforced uniform policies at some schools, I am surprised you did not read the detail/small print.

[quote CarefulDriver]Just looked at Treads, these are the only ones available in DS’s size but will they be classed as trainers do we think, despite clearly not being 🤔?

www.treads-shoes.com/boys/school-shoes/brooklyn[/quote]
They state “trainer style” in the description. Seriously OP, you seem determined to bend the rules….

OMG just realised I think I bought the 'wrong' rug, its too big. Aaaarrrggghhhh I'll never be able to exchange it will I.....

oops sorry wrong thread :)

@Snoozer11 well said.

@Thevoiceofreason2021

You didn’t read the rules. Send the kickers back and buy a school approved pair.

OP did read the rules. It just so happens that the rules aren't consistently communicated. Not the OP's fault.

It’s interesting that so many are more concerned about affluent people looking affluent rather than poor people actually being poor.