To think Clarks really are the best school shoes?

[Boxofbics]

Have always used Clarks shoes for school but with all the prices of everything creeping up I am wondering if other school shoes are just as good?

Asda, Sainsbury's, Tesco have decent shoes for less than £20 while Clarks are close to £50.

Thoughts?
Thanks.

Best school shoes we ever got were Dr Martens - in high school they lasted 2 years. When she was younger, they were almost as good as new when her feet grew and we had to replace

There's absolutely no comparison between Clarks and supermarket or cheaper shoes. The cheaper ones look exactly what they are ( cheap) and don't last as long! It really depends how fast your child is growing tbh, not worth paying £50 for a pair that will only be worn for a month but if they are growing slower then definitely worth it.

A subject that divides MN as surely as the loo brush.

actual experience they are fantastic. DS has had one pair per year from R, the last pair have done Y9 and 10, and are currently keeping Ddog entertained.

polish them every week and they come up a treat every time

I did buy start rite shoes in DS younger years once and they were crap - the leather scuffed incredibly easily and they looked terrible in about 5 mins. I also found all their styles very flat, DS has deep insteps and their shoes were all just very shallow.

We've found clarks to be the best, and providing not growing out of them they last the full year. My DD is very hard wearing and has worn out most other brands within a term!

Thank you all.

clarks were always ill fitted on my dc as they had narrow feet - its just the way it went - so I used other types and makes of shoes for better fitted shoes

DS is nearly 4, but the absolute best shoes he has had for 3 years of nursery are Startrite. The best trainers have been Reeboks!

I did buy start rite shoes in DS younger years once and they were crap - the leather scuffed incredibly easily and they looked terrible in about 5 mins. I also found all their styles very flat, DS has deep insteps and their shoes were all just very shallow.

this is why not one make will suit everyone, clarks will be ok for some and others it won't

best to get the shoes that fit the best rather than going with a well known brand even if they are not suitable for your Childs feet

Our last lots of Clark’s didn’t last the autumn term! The T-Bar straps ended up with the leather coming away from the Velcro. Ended up getting their feet measured and going for some Doc Marten school shoes which still look good as new and I’ve been told are very comfy (both girls went for the Mary Jane style). They were circa the same price wise but the quality is a hundred per cent better.

My boys had Adidas tensaur as their school shoes last year, although they’re trainers they look exactly like some of the Clarks shoes. £22 and they lasted all year. Will be getting them again this year.

The clarks we've had in the past ended up only lasting from Sept to Dec before looking tatty. Startite have always held up well, but don't have a supplier near us and have to order online in multiple sizes/styles despite my measuring at home (must be doing it wrong). Recent convert to M&S, they have leather ones, half sizes and 3 different width sizes and despite going with the patent ones and a child that must spend all school day scraping the front of their shoes along sandpaper they still look good. Down side is stock can go quickly.

Always buy Clarkson my daughter has wide feet and terrible with shoes but Clarks do her all year round one year I bought supermarket and they last to Christmas

DS's Start‐Rite shoes still look new and we've had them longer than the last three pairs combined (Sainsbury's Toezone, George Asda, and Next). The Next ones were the worst, proper leather, £35 and they looked absolutely battered after two days. So even though the Start-Rite ones were £45 they work out cheaper than a new supermarket pair every term.

If we get leather supermarket or leather shoe zone, they last a term. We had no choice during the pandemic as Clarks made it a tad awkward to get an appointment. Clarks last a year. Far superior. Their leather trainers are also long lasting. DS is extremely active, but has slow growing feet, so Clarks is a clear winner for us.

My sons Clark's shoes lasted all year with being washed at least twice a week as he was having accidents in school as he hadn't got the hang of using the toilet yet. They didn't break at all, one of the straps started coming away from the velcro at the end of the year but I couldn't believe they actually lasted! Both my boys have had Clark's shoes every year since (oldest is 9 now) and they've lasted all year.
Sooo expensive but they are good I find!

I've had mixed results with supermarket shoes, and it doesn't save you anything if you have to replace them all the time, however Toezone from sainsbury's do seem to have lasted well. M&S have always been good, they cost more then supermarkets but still cheaper then clarks.

Yes. I bought my girls supermarket shoes a couple of times and they lasted abt two weeks.

Their feet have stopped growing now and last years school shoes from Clarks still have enough wear left for another year.

Also found Clarks OK, but start-rite a much better fit and much more durable for DD’s feet. The few times we’ve had Clarks the stitching has been a little less good and the fit a bit less comfortable than Start-Rite.

I keep an eye out throughout the year for the next size up in sales and outlets (DD’s feet grow slowly and she’s always an F).

I think Clarks are stronger than the alternatives. Sainsburys, Next, Marks and Skechers have all been destroyed after 4-6 months by my two girls 8 and 10. As in, soles peeling off or holes in the top - completely unuseable. With the same timescale, the Clarks boots are only scuffed. I'm very jealous of people whose kids wear shoes for an entire year! Mine have got through two pairs each and the second pair falling apart by June. I have no idea what they do to them!

My daughters Aldi shoes lasted all year. 7 quid and a bargain!

DS2's feet didn't grow for 18 months and he wore the same pair of Clarks school shoes the entire time.

DS1(14) takes an adult 10 and I still buy Clarks school shoes for him as he has narrow feet and most other brands crease across the top of his foot and dig in.

We have mostly had very good experiences with Clarks. One year, I threw the head up and decided to buy cheaper shoes. DS1's were from Next and went back for a refund within 5 weeks as the sole had come away from the upper. He's not the hard on shoes type - just wanders around muttering about rockets! DS2's were from M&S and were replaced after one term - and that was stretching it. They were a mess, although he's a bit more rough and tumble than his brother. Still, you expect to get longer than a few weeks out of shoes.

Clarks last forever... though I always got my daughter the patent leather school shoes from Clarks - super durable. On the couple of occasions I got her the normal leather they were scuffed silly in a day or two.

DS had Clark’s from when he started walking.

He went through three pairs in 6 months at nursery (school nursery so they wear uniform) all trashed and none outgrown. He needed new ones first week of July as he’d outgrown his M&S ones, they were trashed by end of September, he’s been back in M&S since, Clarkes are a complete waste of money.

My DDs have always had Clark's, due to them both having narrow feet and shallow insteps. Supermarket shoes just didn't fit. DD2 also has a disability which means she has to wear a shoe that has high support around the ankle and straps well to the feet.

I've always found Clark's shoes to last the academic year, and now they're teens, one pair of school shoes lasts 2 academic years. So no problems here.