So are these school shoes or trainers

[Shoesortrainers]

School have published their amended policy from Sept. This style is showed as unacceptable as they apparently trainers.

Er no they are school shoes and they
are the ONLY ones that fit my wide footed , high instep child. Believe me we’ve tried and tried over the years. They are just like me unfortunately. Plus sensory issues too.

School shoes must also be black and of polishable leather (they are!)

School refusing to budge. In fact the teacher dealing with uniform is being very rude and obstructive.

So Mumsnet are these shoes or trainers.

I think they are fine for primary school but less so for secondary.

i don’t see why the suggested options wouldn’t be suitable for walking to and from school though.

If those are trainers, perhaps you should ask if they're okay for PE. Or just tell him to wear his school shoes for PE for the rest of this term, and wait for the PE teacher to ask where his trainers are.

These are shoes, 100%. I honestly can’t believe some of the crazy rules set out by schools on uniform. My DD’s secondary school has a new headteacher and I’m delighted by the new rules around uniform. Pupils need to wear either a school logo hoodie, school tie or blazer. Otherwise it’s black skirts, trousers, long shorts, leggings or trackie bottoms. Footwear is whatever they like as long as it’s suitable for walking around the school. That’s it, end of rules. So refreshing. This is Scotland.

They're shoes with Velcro instead of laces.They wouldn't be suitable for sports.

I’ve wondered for years What gives a school the right to dictate footwear to this degree and why do parents tolerate this nonsense?

I wonder this all the time when I read these threads. I'm in Canada and we don't have uniform so maybe I don't understand the subtleties, but the school bullshit that parents seem willing to go along with in the UK boggles my mind. Why don't people collectively take a stand against such ridiculous rules? It's a shoe! It literally doesn't matter one iota whether it has Velcro or not.

Wow. That selection of suitable shoes is pretty daft for secondary school pupils.

Boys in suit shoes or crappy looking slip ones. But apparently not sensible Velcro up shoes.

Field in ballet pumps which are unsuitable in most weathers and for walking any distance and terrible for their growing feet.

Why do HTs think damaging young peoples feet and making them wear certain shoes improves their education?

Sn not an!

They want standard men's office shoes from the picture, my dp has the Clark's slip on ones they picture for every day. (He has the lace up ones on the second row for smart events too).

I think the images that the school sent are clear.

They won't accept the shoes as part of their school uniform.

@Shoesortrainers If you are worried about laces at all both of mine had elastic laces for both year 7 school shoes, also Clarks as they are wide fit G and H+, and the toggle cinch elastic laces for their football boots and trainers. Maybe Clarks could advise on a suitable lace up with the high instep. As Ds2 was an H+ we had very few shoes to choose from and always found them very helpful.

It also doesn't matter if school say they are trainers and you say they are shoes. It is their uniform policy and clearly shows that the shoes your son wears are not acceptable. Whether or not you can get an adjustment for him is down to the school. However, he will be called out all the time for it by teachers who do not know him and have to have something in his planner to show the adjustment. It is shit, totally shit.

They're shoes, they wouldn't be bought for PE.

They're not what I'd expect to see a boy at secondary school wearing, which I assume is why the teachers have looked at his shoes. There'll be kids in lace-up black leather Adidas and Nikes that will be going unnoticed I bet.

They look like shoes to me. Definitely not trainers.

Seeingspots I'm glad you noticed that too!!!!

Shoes

Exactly!

Also as pissed off as I would be if I were the OP because of her struggle to find appropriate footwear for her son. I'd be even more cross if I had a daughter as not one of those styles shown is appropriate for walking to school in the winter.

I think that they are shoes.

More a primary age style. Secondary they tend to wear smart adult style shoes.

Our school are very specific about shoes but these would be allowed

👏👏👏👏👏 that head.

Come to school comfortable and learn.

Yep, it's absolutely ridiculous.

I'm pretty sure if I showed those to our PE teacher she wouldn't let the kids to PE in them, so they must be school shoes rather than trainers!

YANBU. School are being ridiculous and also discriminatory - how are vegetarians meant to comply with the requirement for them to be leather?

I would expect them at primary school but not secondary.
Primary school shoes are like trainer shoe hybrids to get little feet used to wearing proper shoes. By secondary I would expect proper shoes, which seems to be what the picture from the school shows.

The bottom pair in this picture would be comfortable

3 of those shoes in that image that would be typically considered girls shoes would not be recommended by podiatrists or chiropodists as they do not offer the support growing feet needs.

Ideally, shoes should have a way to adjust over the middle of the foot. This could be with a strap or buckle, or with laces. Avoid ballerina pump-style shoes as these make the feet and toes grip the shoes to stay on and can cause long-term problems

https://rcpod.org.uk/blog/back-to-school

I included this in my email, I didn’t get a response in writing. I was offered an appointment to discuss a policy further, which I didn’t reply to as I was busy and away. However I was in collared by the member of staff when I collected my other child for appointment. I told him I didn’t need a meeting to discuss it. I’d like a written response to my email and the points I had raised. He said there was nothing to respond so I asked if comprehension was an issue and he needed me to clarify the exact points that needed a response.

he also told me that whether a shoe is recommended by a podiatrist of similar doesn’t matter in terms of suitability to their policy. They want a formal office shoe. I asked him how many offices he’s been in recently as I’ve been in many other wide range of footwear is acceptable these days. Plus these are children age 11-16.

i’m absolutely done with being told that it raises expectations in the children. What raises expectations is the children go to school happy comfortable and able to learn and are given an environment that focuses on that. Not a teacher that stands at the school gate, looking down, ready to criticise their shoes, socks or trouser length and put them in removal without the support of the subject teacher for the day if they aren’t 100% adhering to ridiculous uniform policies.

There is a high level of deprivation in our area, SEN children many who aren’t diagnosed yet due to waiting lists end up in removal as there is nowhere else to put them when they can’t cope with a classroom environment. Education lost.

These are shoes in my opinion. I can get a letter if necessary and I have told him this, and he insisted that they name the style in the letter and he’ll see what he thinks of the letter.

However, parents don’t need this battle, just said the children to school. Why can’t we focus on the bigger issues like self esteem, confidence and happiness.

Why do schools get to dictate shoe styles to this degree. They are smart, black, sensible shoes. What exactly makes them unsustainable? Why does it matter if they have velcro instead of laces?

They are expensive comfy school shoes!

Bloody good point. We will identify as vegetarians. Time this school got inclusive.

They wouldn't be suitable for sport, a lot of sports halls will not allow black soles anyway, they're not trainers.