To think Teenage boy school shoes aren’t fit for purpose?

[Obeseandashamed]

I have a 13 year old with size 9/10 feet. A few of the boys in his class also have similar sized feet so he’s not a complete anomaly. We’ve been looking for school shoes and there seems to be nothing age appropriate out there in his size. Clarks only had one style available in his size and they were too narrow on the toe so not ideal. The other styles were far too grown up for a 13 year old. Everything in schuh, office & next wouldn’t suit a teenage boy who loves to play sport at break/lunch times either as they didn’t seem durable and/or were too grown up. His school won’t allow anything that looks anything remotely like trainers so I will have to resign myself to buying him dress shoes that I know will have to be replaced on a monthly basis 😅 I probably am being unreasonable and probably also exaggerating with envisaging monthly shoe purchases but I needed a rant as it’s a bone of contention in our household at the moment. If anybody had any recommendations for trendy but long lasting shoes suitable for school, please share them!

Have a look at Startrite shoes if you haven’t already. We’ve always had them, they do a range of styles and widths / sizes.

Geox have a few styles that go that large in their kids school shoes. I am hoping their quality is still good (haven’t bought geox for a few years) as have just bought some for ds.

Hushpuppies

Literally couldn’t agree more! I have 3 boys and I feel your pain. I cannot understand for the life of me why they can’t wear plain black trainers. Better for their feet and better for playing sport at lunch time which should be bloody encouraged! Once they get out of kid sizes, Clarkes are useless. I’ve found kickers are reasonable but pricey.

My youngest WRECKED his shoes 3 weeks before the end of term: I bought him some surprisingly good ones from Primark as no way was I spending £££ 5 minutes before they broke up. £15 and really solid. Look like they’d stand up to a good bit of playground football. BUT they are a bit trainer-ish….I care not though and am willing to fight this one!! I’m not a die hard rule breaker but I can’t stand a rule without a decent rationale.

DS has size 9/10 feet and wears Dr Martens or army issue boots.

I'm so glad DS is moving into sixth form next month so we no longer have this problem! I think we managed with a few pairs from Next for the last couple of years.

I always bought Camper or DMs for DS school. Hated the Clarke styles

My ds has had Clarks from Amazon for a few years - I think they are called Bradley Vibe? Maybe not the coolest but he tolerates them 😆

What type of shoe is 'too grown up' for a teenager with size 10 feet?

Docs are OK for school. Ds has had Ben Sherman shoes in the past. Surprisingly robust. Debenhams online stock them.

What’s a grown up shoe?

I completely agree. My 12 year old has size 10 feet, wider than average. We cannot find anything decent for playing sport in at break and lunch. There are no lockers, and so he doesn’t want to carry a change of shoes. We have had Hush Puppies, but they were wrecked a few weeks before the end of term. Boots, docs etc are not allowed. All black trainers would be so much better. Any bullying, act on it.

I am also ranting about white shirts. He is in adult sizes, so instead of paying supermarket prices for a pack of 5, the cheapest I can find are £40. It costs him more to go to school because he is tall.

Totally agree! I wish school would just let them wear more of a trainer style. They should be encouraging them to be active in their break times!

Isn't this what kickers are for? DS has geox , they go up to a 10 and are pretty hard wearing

https://www.marksandspencer.com/5-pack-regular-fit-short-sleeve-shirts/p/clp60493981?intid=mobile_app_pdp_share

M&s 5 pack mens sizes £60 the long sleeve are slightly more but not much

He's got man-size feet, so go for men's shoes rather than shops that cater primarily for schoolkids. You can get some Grifter work shoes/boots from various sites (incl Amazon) for £30 to £40, and they'll last a lot longer 👍 A good investment, if his feet have stopped growing.

I’m relieved to hear I’m not the only one suffering with this issue! Thanks to @puffylovett’s recommendation, I’ve ordered a pair of start-rite academy and will continue to look for other options just in case they’re not right when they arrive as we are running out of time before school starts. I tried looking to see if there was a stockist nearby but the closes is a 50 mile round trip. I suspect some of my frustration is also due to the lack of choices available in stores when it’s something that ideally needs to be tried on and it’s a faff ordering and returning.

I was referring to dress shoes that have little to no grip, pinch their toes and are uncomfortable for a 13 year old or perhaps chunkier shoes that are then really heavy on his feet as he’s got a very slim build. Adult shoes aren’t made for running around playgrounds, playing sport at lunchtimes etc but most school shoes can with stand that kind of use! Hope that explains what I was referring to a bit better.

I agree although we have got lucky this year in the M&S mens department with some wide fit cushioned sole shoes in the correct size and a sensible shape. He doesn't want pointy toes or slip ons.

Yeah my DS had docs or army boots.

adult male dress shoes do not stand up to the sort of use teen boys give them.

Can he not have doc martins?

My 15 year old has size 11 feet and has worn sturdy men's work boots to school for the past few years. They wear trousers so nobody can see they're boots instead of shoes.

Marks and Spencer mens shoes are pretty good, likewise Geox - try also John Lewis online

Definitely not an anomaly my young high school son is a size 12 in shoes. We get his school shoes from Sports Direct, in our one they have a dedicated section to school shoes and usually go up to an adult size 13, although it can be slim pickings as you need larger ones but they still give a school shoe vibe.

He also has super wide feet and Sports Direct usually fit perfectly.

My teenage DS has size 9 feet.

He has worn the Puma Smash V2 leather pumps that look very shoe like.

His school has a strict no trainers policy but after 3 years he has never been challenged on them.