AIBU to think schools should not allow students to wear black trainers all day, every day?

[Lilyladles]

My child's high school is allowing students to wear black trainers all day. I think this is bad for their feet, more expensive for parents, and a drop in standards.

AIBU?

I agree and what's the point of looking smart in blazer, shirt, tie, trousers......then putting on a scuffed up pair of trainers? It looks shit.

You’re still the parent @Lilyladles. Buy shoes for your dc if that’s what you prefer

Why do they need to look smart though ? It’s often not comfortable or practical for learning.

My ds wore black leather trainers the whole way through secondary school- but that’s wasn’t the school uniform!

He has a physical disability and it’s better for his feet.

You need a decent pair though not just cheapy ones from shoe zone or similar

Personally I’d ditch all the short tie stuff and go for trousers/skirt/ leggings, polo, fleece and trainers.

Wearing a shirt and tie doesn’t improve learning. The uniform is the point!

all the teenagers at my daughters school wear black Air Force 1s. Keep the feet dry in rain, easy to clean, comfortable, last the full year (on her, anyway). Huge improvement on when the girls were all wearing those ridiculous rubber Vivienne Westwood ballet pumps that offered no protection from rain or the cold and looked ridiculous.

DC secondary had this for years - black trainers with no logos - you can get cheaper trainers and often seem not worse than shoes. They always had seperate footwear for PE.

I think the school shoe market been poor for a while - even when you spend serious money they don't always last.

I actually prefer the larger toe box for DD2 who does seem prone to toes turning in - likely genetics rather than poor fitting shoes as do getting fittings in shops - but large toe boxes are supposed to help.

don’t buy scuffed up trainers then?

our school has had this option for a while. Most wear plain black trainers, not scuffed up, and they don’t look much different to kickers etc.

like pp said look far better than the ballet flats most of them wore before. That did wear out and start to look scruffy before the end of the first half term.

I think it's nice to look smart and not uncomfortable at all. But totally pointless to finish off the look with trainers. In that case, might as well let them wear anything.

Trainers are much better for the feet than dress shoes.

The days when postmen, park keepers, policemen and people in many other jobs all wore smart, dressy uniforms and shining leather (won’t someone think of the animals?) shoes are long gone. Not so long ago, teachers (sorry, masters) wore gowns and mortar boards, or they did in fiction about posh schools. Now, many of those wear more practical clothing, especially shoes. Uniforms in general have become less dressy over the years, and more practical. For instance, nurses were always seen wearing a hat, but wasn’t that removed because it falls off? (I noted with amusement that in the 1979 film episode of Porridge, the prison football team wear smart suits to meet their opposition, before changing into football kit.) If anything, school uniforms cling to the old ways more than workwear does.

Maybe it’s time to put politicians in trackies and trainers, to destroy the myth of integrity. Johnson and Farage hide behind their smart suits and shining shoes to gain votes (although the only time Johnson combed his hair was for the Partygate hearing).

I wear black trainers all day over day for my work (a fairly senior office role at a multinational)... what shoes could be better for their feet than trainers!?

As most have said, trainers are far more comfortable and supportive than most other shoes. If they're kept clean and replaced when they're worn out, they look fine, too. But than again, I don't think children should be dressed up for school. Who cares what they wear, as long as they're clean, tidy, comfortable, and decently covered?

are they allowed to or do they have to? if the former, can't your child just wear something else?

My son wears all black Skechers every day to school. They work for him. I’ve noticed that most medical staff I’ve dealt with who are on their feet for long periods wear something similar: New Balance or Skechers.

My daughter switched from trainers to shoes this year and ended up with sore feet and blisters!

YABVU
It’s a positive.
Trainers are much more comfortable and far better for your feet. Particularly ones with thick spongy soles and an instep.

Some school shoes are made from thin rigid uncomfortable leather or plastic and some girls shoes are completely flat with no instep, which is so bad for feet.

Many parents are living payday to payday, some because of poor financial management perhaps, but a great many in or near poverty. If children can have footwear that does not have to be solely for school, no bad thing.

Trainers are absolutely fine for feet, good supportive shoes tend to cost more, and they are really just black shoes the standards are fine, you can get whatever shoes you feel is appropriate for your own child.

This sounds really sensible. I'm not a fan of uniform in general but if there is one, black trainers sounds way better than any of the other options.

They're hard wearing. Wearing trainers doesn't affect their ability to learn. Kids are probably more comfortable.

Why are they nore expensive/worse for their feet. You don't have to put them in AF1's, there are lots of reasonably priced black trainers.

The girls grammar near us (one of the top schools in the country) wears black trainers, and they look smart and comfortable

Shoes get scuffed up to.
Secondary school uniform is pretty crap. At least let them have comfortable shoes.

I used to think that until my DC started wearing Nike airforce trainers for school and they are so hardwearing and comfortable

Mine used to wear out shoes so often that I thought "sod this" and let her wear trainers. I just make sure they are branded so they last longer.

My kids have big/ wide feet and their school
shoes cost me an absolute fortune this year, way more than we spend on trainers. Primary school was plain black trainers and I much preferred it. I also don’t understand why trainers would be bad for their feet. Edited to add you also then don’t need to buy school shoes and trainers, and the trainers can also be worn outside of school. So definitely not more expensive.