To ask if these are acceptable to wear as school shoes?

[CovidIsADick]

My son has just been put into detention for the second day in a row for wearing the wrong shoes. He has been threatened with a fixed term exclusion too. Their uniform policy says if their shoes have laces they must be black and that they can’t be canvas. These look smart, they have black laces and they are leather. My DS has issues with his feet because of their shape and normal school shoes hurt him. We’ve tried so many different brands.

YANBU- these are acceptable as school shoes.

YABU- the school is right.

Your post is pointless, the fact is they’re not acceptable as school shoes at the school they’d be worn at. And FWIW, they’d be unacceptable at most secondaries in my area as they’re obviously closer to being trainers than shoes.

They’re branded trainers, not shoes, so wouldn’t be allowed in either of the High Schools I’ve got DC at.

They’re trainers, not shoes. At my dd’s secondary, those would be a straight detention/isolation. They ask children wear plain black shoes/loafers that can be polished.

Ds’s primary though they can wear trainers like that and he has the Nike borough courts similar to those.

You can’t fight a school if they’ve clearly stated plain black shoes.

Trainer style like this would also not be permitted at my DD's old secondary.

They're very clearly trainers.

I'm not defending uniform rules but these wouldn't be ok in most schools.

Our school allows these. My kids have them

Try hush puppies if he's in adult sizes. They're softer but still formal smart. Clarks do a comfort fit too and wide options. These sort of shoes do take a bit of wearing in sadly. Maybe size up so he can wear thicker socks to cushion his feet, that's worked with my youngest.

I mean they're clearly Nike trainers not school shoes - just out of interest, what foot shape fits into the shoe shaped trainers but not normal shoe shaped shoes?? Also even if 99.9999% of people on MN agreed they were appropriate, it doesn't matter if the school doesn't agree. Does the uniform policy state no trainers? If it does you've clearly BU.

Can someone explain this obsession with proper uniform to me? Is this one of the features of the cast... eh ... class system? Does it make the school system better quality? Influences the rankings of British schools in PISA tests and makes them better than school systems with no uniforms?

There must be shoes for men who have foot issues surely? Have you looked at Fitflop shoes? They are very uncomfortable.

I can see why they won't allow Nike trainers. Kids can get very competitive so best no-one has trainers on at all.

Sorry, comfortable! Fit flop shoes are very comfortable.

I think they're trainers with an obvious brand mark on the side rather than school shoes.

You might get away with something like that as a medical exception if they didn't have the huge Nike swoosh on the side.

My dd wears pretty much the same shoes to school. Our schools not overly uptight though.

Agree with pp - they're trainers, not shoes. It doesn't matter what any of us think though. I think they're fine, but it's not my uniform policy. When you accept a place at a school, you agree to their policies.

Our school would call these trainer style and they wouldnt be allowed. However my ds1 has a foot anomaly that makes it difficult to get school shoes to fit and he has an exemption which does allow him, if necessary, to wear a wider range of styles. He's under a hospital consultant, do you have any medical "proof" that your ds may need a reasonable adjustment to the rules that you could show them?

It doesn’t matter what we think.
If the school says they aren’t acceptable then they aren’t. I doubt that if you told them MN thinks they aren’t trainers they would change their mind (which it seems most people do anyway)

They wouldnt be allowed here. They are obviously branded trainers

@EerieSilence

Can someone explain this obsession with proper uniform to me? Is this one of the features of the cast... eh ... class system? Does it make the school system better quality? Influences the rankings of British schools in PISA tests and makes them better than school systems with no uniforms?

School isn't a fashion show. Uniforms keep everyone on a level - less opportunity for people to feel outcast due to clothes (e.g some children in designer some in second hand clothes) and less chance for distracting outfits or outfits that could cause issues (e.g distracting like bright neon green, covered in chains, huge logos etc or even rival football kits). It minimises issues for teachers to deal with, and looking smart and having school pride should be a good thing!

Part of getting ready for school and wearing a uniform helps children be prepared for school and in a school mindset, it prepares them for their futures (most jobs have "uniforms", be it smart casual / scrubs / cargo pants and tops).

I disagree with the prices some schools charge but that's another issue!

@EerieSilence

Can someone explain this obsession with proper uniform to me? Is this one of the features of the cast... eh ... class system? Does it make the school system better quality? Influences the rankings of British schools in PISA tests and makes them better than school systems with no uniforms?

Stops people showing off with their branded trainers.

Yep, they're trainers. Would not be allowed in my DC's secondary school.

Your shoes are [https://www.nike.com/gb/t/air-jordan-1-low-shoe-KnkHN7/553558-091 here]. In black they may look more shoe-like, and nike brand them as a shoe, but the video shows a white and red version which are definitely trainers.

I think you're mad paying that sort of money for shoes without checking with the school that they'd accept them. Look at somewhere like startrite which do a decent range of widths, in leather shoes, up to 8-9 adult size, for about half the price of these.

If the school have said no, and keep putting your son in detention, you either move him from the school or change the shoes for ones not made by Nike. I really wouldn't go back with "X% of people on the internet said they were shoes".

Are they Air Force Ones? If so of course you can't wear them for school.

They look like black Nike Air Force 1s and they are permitted at the state secondary where I work.

My primary age dc have shoes like these and school have never said anything about them.
I don’t think they would be allowed at my older dc’s secondary school.

Depending entirely on the school uniform!

Those are trainers, so if the uniform doesn’t say trainers they are wrong.