Since when?

[McSteamyorMcdreamy]

Posting here for traffic.

My DD starts year 7 next week. Local secondary. Nothing fancy.

She and we are respectful of uniform policy and have purchased everything we need to. She looks bloody smart and we (and she) can't wait for her to start.

As 11 year old girls will do, they have tried their whole set up in front of their friends and all of them said the same thing:

"You will get sent home with those shoes"

They throw detentions out for the most minor of uniform infractions and DD is now having a massive anxiety spiral that she's going to get a detention or worse sent home 1st day because of her shoes.

I spoke to a friend who works in the school office and showed her a picture and her response was "oooh, I'm not sure. Air Force 1s are the best way to go"

Since when have trainers been a smarter, more acceptable form of shoe than a patent loafer??!!!

For full disclosure she has chosen the Kickers Edie loafer as in the link

https://www.kickers.co.uk/adult-women-edie-loafer-patent-leather-black/14913640.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=UK+-+Kickers+-+Search+-+Brand+-+Core+-+Broad&utm_term=kickers&utm_content=brand+-+Kickers&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20162340688&gbraid=0AAAAADiNwZXHWpJ1LFmAfTE2drVjkEy8k&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwsrFBhD6ARIsAPnUFD1w_j6Ufhx1cfFv1a1fF0Ageht-fZYRGu_xo9ofOilAOdjE7KgGjEgaAoLrEALw_wcb

This school stipulates that hair past chin lemgth needs to be in a ponytail with a hair band that is the closest colour to the individuals hair colour, yet believes that a trainer is smarter/more acceptable than the loafer.

AIBU here?! I know trainers are more acceptable these days but are they really considered smarter considering how rigid they are on the smaller items?!

These are heels. They look at least 6cm high at the heel, what else could you possibly imagine them to be??

of bloody course trainers are more acceptable than that?? And the reason you can’t get her other shoes than trainers isn’t because of the policy, it seems to be because your daughter says no- my children don’t get any say in suitable uniform school shoes for high school.

I can’t be the only mum here thinking there is nothing at all smart about young girls in heels.

Don't humiliate your child just to prove a point. You have been told by those who know she will be sent home. Buy her the shoes the school requires. It doesn't matter if you think "insert reasons", do it anyway.

Trainers may not be smarter but they’re certainly more appropriate, I would think that’s the school’s main concern?

These shoes aren’t suitable for an 11 year old even outside of school.

I'm surprised you have to ask. They are completely unacceptable with that heel.

our school doesn’t allow trainers, and certainly wouldn’t allow heels, which they definitely are. A heel is any shoe that’s not flat. I had a pair of those in the 90’s, not for school though.

I agree; developing feet and all that - also they are most likely traipsing up and down stairs all day, not in one classroom anymore.

Having said that, the classic Kickers I posted upthread I think even my feet would cope well with,

(My feet wouldn’t cope with Nike Airforce bloody awful trainers. They really hurt my feet).

The ones I posed were the classic style but are adult women, as most year 7 will be in adult women’s sizes.

The ones OP bought ARE advertised as school schools, ludicrous and irresponsible but obviously ’back to school’ is the advertising flavour of rhe moment and their intention is to sell.

I’m amazed anyone wouldn’t just roll their eyes at them and scroll past to the sensible school looking shoes, but there seem to be these threads every year.

The Kickers literally say “adult” in the title. I can only imagine an 11 year old in them, shudders.

Glad you changed your mind.

I thought that was totally normal. I assumed it would be the case as soon as DD started primary and bought a load of navy bobbles for that. A lot of the girls wear all kinds of colours and I was quite surprised to find that it wasn't actually mentioned in the uniform policy.

I still insist on it for DD. It is part of uniform as far as I'm concerned.

In my area most of the schools allow air force 1s (or 90% of the kinds break the rules). I think they look scruffy as heck, and daft when kids choose to wear shirts, but they must be comfortable and practical.

Just to say any trainer type shoes (AF1s) would definitely not be allowed at my DCs school.
They have to wear leather shoes. We go for these types
You might like this at John Lewis:
https://www.johnlewis.com/clarks-kids-lorcam-edge-leather-derby-school-shoes-black/p112078170?s_share=jlappdroid

Absolutely!!! I looked at the shoes in the link and honestly couldn’t work out why they’d not be allowed. Didn’t realise secondary schools required flat shoes these days. Every girl in the 90’s wore the shoes in the link to secondary school, so no wonder OP thought they would be appropriate.

I think they’re very nice school shoes OP, but clearly mine aren’t of secondary age yet so I haven’t encountered the shoe policies yet!!

Sorry OP I was getting ready to support you but those are not school shoes these days

Way, way back when (I started high school in 1996) I wore really chunky Kickers heels, and Pods too, if anyone remembers those. Thick in the Spice Girls Buffalo days and we all wore them, but oh my gosh @McSteamyorMcdreamy they were so fucking uncomfortable. The balls of your feet would be crying by lunchtime. Honestly I’d never recommend them. They’re just not a shoe to be wearing all day long.

I also laughed a bit at your OP saying you’d been respectful of the uniform policy and your next post said the policy states ‘no heels’ 🤣 I know it’s hard when you just want them to look the part but, as you’ve conceded already on this thread, you’ve missed the mark completely on this one. Just get her the comfy trainers and move on - don’t single the poor kid out from Day 1!

Schools nowadays always require safe, flat shoes. I haven't seen a girl in heeled shoes at school for many years.

Wasn't allowed at mine even back in the 90s.

That shoe wouldn't have been acceptable when I was a kid either. That is a clear heel.
And have you been under a rock to not hear about uniform strictness? 10 years since I last worked in schools and we had issues like this then

Not a good choice of school shoe. Would not have been accepted at my DC’s state secondary school.

Waaay too young for heels. She's just 11 fgs. 🤦‍♀️

I had those in the 90s, personally though I am surprised branded trainers are deemed acceptable - thought the whole idea was to stay away from branded shoes/trainers?

Don't you want her to be comfortable, or is looking smarter more important to you. A good pair of trainers will be much more comfortable to wear all day, and safer.

My dds would love those shoes for school.
They cant wear trainers except for pe.
So its just flat plain black shoes with no bows/design features at all. They are very strict

Thanks for the quick memory jolt back to school in the 80s where I desperately wanted a pair of shoes that everyone else had from Dolcis but my mum made me have the 'not quite the same' version from Clarks and the sodding things just wouldn't wear out (unlike the Dolcis ones others had). Then I still had the Clarks when others had moved on to Pixie boots.

Oh God, I have now remembered the red leather sandals I had at infant school which I adored and was sick on.

I’m just baffled at the choice being between those heeled shoes and trainers. Both are banned at my dc’s schools. We somehow managed to provide footwear: Clark’s, Startrite, Geox, Kickers provide a decent range. M&S too.

I was expecting the kind of loafers I have, very flat. That's a big heel especially for a child. They wouldn't have been allowed when I or my DCs were at school.