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 shoes. @LongTimeSinceLastPosted provides the information I was going to add.

I often wonder in these situations whether a school would see sense if a letter from a solicitor was sent to them. Hopefully unnecessary.

Absolutely fine for Primary, not for secondary.

Why?

Absolutely ridiculous.

Those ballet pumps are totally unsuitable for school.

Buy the fugly shoes OP, but send your DS to and from school in his school uniform and some white high tops...that'll learn em.

What's wrong with you?

How does comfortable appropriate footwear interfere with the school's ability to provide an education?

Why are they not suitable for secondary school. They are a damn sight more practical and suitable than ballet pumps or slip on shoes.

Fortunately, I have two medical professionals that are willing to write a letter in support of my daughter. Neither are likely to actually name the style because that’s an endorsement of a particular brand isn’t it. Plus what a waste of NHS time. Neither letters likely to come in time for term ending though given how long the secretary’s backlog is for more urgent letters. I wanted this sorted in time to go shoe shopping over summer. I’m not unwilling to try other options but I know it’ll still come back to this one style as the only contender!

A private podarist appt is booked for next week too for a different issue and she will write a letter too.

So yes I’ll prob get an adjustable finally for my child on this issue.

However it’s a much bigger issue for all parents. We tolerant this level of ridiculousness and then what. This school has had 3 PE kit changes in the last 5 years. Stop dicking about! It’s expensive, costly and no good for the environment either. They are now insisting on football studs for PE for the boys. My eldest is in meltdown. I’m going to be in bloody meltdown this August! Anyone seen wife feet football studs with Velcro?

On a total side note I love the responses “it says so in the description” …..if I post a pic of a cat and label it ‘dog’ does that mean it is one?🤷🏼‍♀️🤣

My children’s school specifically allow all black trainers, it saves loads of hassle and makes no difference to how well the children achieve, they are one of the top performing schools in the area. They’re still very strict about the rest of the uniform and behaviour in general. It seems such a waste of time and energy to be so prescriptive like OP’s son’s school.

@Shoesortrainers
I absolutely agree with you. I wouldn't dream of sending my DC's into school in silly fashion shoes or trendy trainers but I would insist they wear shoes that fit well and are comfortable - if that brought me to loggerheads with the school, so be it.

I’m so sick of this too. My DC’s school insists the shoes have to be polishable, i.e. leather, which means that they exclude all those cheaper shoes from the supermarkets.

If a child turned up wearing those to my class, even if I noticed , which I wouldn't, I'd be pleased they were there learning.
I've got a FSM kid whose parents obviously can't afford the PE kit, she wears old tracksuit. I'm just glad she's in class.

This!

Do they specifically state shoe polish ? Non leather shoes can be polished with furniture polish…

@SummerDuck are you aware that they have breaks at school? During which they are encouraged (may actually be compulsory) to be outside. You may have had kids who simply sat on a bench chatting about homework, but plenty of us have sporty kids who use the break to run around and play sport. Having sat in a classroom for hours they want to let off steam. For long periods of the year, the school field is out of bounds (muddy) so the concrete areas are the only ones accessible to them. If you run around in office shoes on concrete, the shoes will fall apart. Hence my argument that smart office shoes are not well suited to school, except for very inactive children.

They would, wouldn't they? They want people to spend money on them (and probably come back in September to be refused a refund because they've been worn to school and have to buy a pair of shoe-shoes.

I was expecting trainers, those are definitely shoes. Those saying they are trainers, let’s see some examples of what your kids wear then.

I'm mystified as to why this is a problem. My sons secondary school is strict on uniform and my 14 year old (ASD, also very High instep) has worn these for years. For those saying they look like primary school shoes, they do them up to a 10.5, and I've just had to buy him a 9.

They clearly go against school rules.

however, the school rules are bonkers. I don’t get why schools are so weird about this sort of detail!!

What exactly is it about these shoes that prevents children from learning, @SummerDuck? How would OP's daughter learn better if she were wearing ballet pumps?

Shoes!

I don’t really understand why you are asking them now about shoes for September?

Just stick with the school SHOES you’ve got and let your child be comfortable.

What exactly is the teacher going to do? Not like she has any grounds to take the shoes off.

Tell her to take it up with Clarks and she’ll soon pipe down.

🤦🏼‍♀️ teacher here by the way and with some of the nonsense I read it’s no wonder some parents dislike schools.

@pleasehelpwi3 thank you. You are probably the type of teacher that keeps a breakfast bar and sanitary products in your drawer too.

We need teachers that focused on the children and their wellbeing then they will be ready to engage and learn.

Very sensible looking sturdy school shoes. YNBU

The school frequent change of policy suggests to me they need a visit from Ofsted far more than the one Kemi Badenoch has written to Ofsted about, where a child jokingly pretended to identify as a cat.

Fascinating. Which school is that? Because if it is "managing out" children for having feet for which uniform shoes are unwearable, then it is breaking the law. It is in direct breach of the Equality Act 2010, it is operating unlawful exclusions, and it is using unlawful processes for excluding children. Ofsted need to know about it, urgently.

Do you think breaking the law is offering your child a good example for following rules? I wouldn't want my child educated by people like this.