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Original poster

Have you bought school shoes yet?

83 replies

bodenbiscuit · 26/07/2015 12:49

In the past I always buy everything else really early and leave the school shoes until right before they go back, mainly because if their feet suddenly grown they will not get much wear out of them. But leaving it usually means there is very little choice.

So do you leave it or buy quite early?

OP posts:
teacherwith2kids · 26/07/2015 20:44

DS has had a particular style of school shoes (Rhino Dylan, from Start-Rite) since he started secondary.

Each year, we buy 1 pair. It is always the same size as his school year (so size 10 is likely in September).

They last the whole year, no problem - including the 2 miles+ of walking each day. IME Startrite, especially the Rhino sub-brand, are EXTREMELY robust.

Their largest size is size 10. I am already panicking about his school shoes for year 11.

PerspicaciaTick · 26/07/2015 20:48

I prefer Startrite to Clark's for durability. Toughees are also robust and a bit cheaper.

basildonbond · 26/07/2015 22:21

I loathe buying school shoes ... Ds2 (15) is already size 12 and showing no signs of slowing down yet. His feet are also really narrow so hardly anything ever fits properly

Dd's feet are also long and thin - she was desperate to get brogues last year but the poor child ended up with the same boring old Mary-janes as she's had since Y2 :( - everything else slips horribly

teacherwith2kids · 27/07/2015 08:31

"I loathe buying school shoes ... Ds2 (15) is already size 12 and showing no signs of slowing down yet. His feet are also really narrow so hardly anything ever fits properly "

That will be me next year! The shoes we buy at the moment are the ONLY pairs to fit properly (narrow ankles, long toes with a very long big toe, protuberant bone on top of foot just where most laces come...) and believe me, we've done '15 pairs in 4 shoe shops' trips before now.

(Crosses fingers, hoping that DS - 14 - is no more than a size 10. Even a 10.5 means disaster ... and as he is mid growth spurt for the rest of him, I'm holding out little hope for his feet!)

TheFirstOfHerName · 27/07/2015 23:01

Annoyingly, two of the children grew out of their school shoes in February/March (so did one trip then) and the other two are needing new shoes ready for September. The least they could do is stay in synch with each other. Grin

Original poster
bodenbiscuit · 29/07/2015 10:29

When I was at school I always wanted the Clarks princess shoes with a key in them but my feet were too shallow so they didn't fit :(

OP posts:
ChocolateWombat · 29/07/2015 13:01

I have bought already.
My DD has only ever needed 1 pair of shoes per school year and grows 1 size per year (10 now) so I buy from the Startrite website when they have a sale on. I got the ones for next year for £15!
Her ones from last year are still in decent wearable condition and I will have her feet measured in a couple of weeks - will probably go into the new shoes for Sept but if her feet aren't quite there yet,she will return in the old ones.

I am a startrite fan. They have lovely thick and comfy soles, padded ankles and last and last. I have never paid more than £25.

CamelHump · 29/07/2015 13:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
bodenbiscuit · 29/07/2015 14:29

Yes they definitely do grow much more in the summer. Dd2 who is 11 needed three different pairs last year. I need to try ways of getting them more cheaply.

OP posts:
AuditAngel · 29/07/2015 22:26

I am aghast at these shoe sizes. DS starts secondary in September, last year's shoes were a size 2, I'm expecting a size 3

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 29/07/2015 22:27

My DS also starts secondary as size 2. He is of small build generally though.

simpson · 29/07/2015 22:39

DD had a brand new pair bought in May so they should see her till Half term she is small and doesn't grow particularly quickly.

DS (9) has trashed his school shoes & I won't bother buying any till the week before he is back at school.

Muchtoomuchtodo · 29/07/2015 22:44

Will probably get ds1 his new ones towards the end of next week from out local independent shoe shop.

Ds 2 only had new ones last half term so his should be fine.

AngieBolen · 29/07/2015 22:49

I'm leaving it to the very last minute.

I figure Clarks won't actually sell out of school shoes, and that their production continues all year.

Someone please tell me if I'm completely wrong! Grin

lavendersun · 30/07/2015 06:02

I think it is fine unless you have got a v narrow footed child Angie Grin.

IME the shoe shops seems to sell out of more unusual sizes and you just end up with either less choice ..... or no choice!

'Standard', whatever that is, sort of foot size and you will be fine.

AngieBolen · 30/07/2015 07:03

Grrr....DD is ridiculously narrow. Hmm

lavendersun · 30/07/2015 07:15

Grin, I left it until the week before one year and we had 1 pair, with added insoles to choose from .... didn't do that again!!

Elibean · 30/07/2015 11:54

Yes. Both mine have narrow feet, one needs insoles, and the other is starting at secondary and has to have either navy or brown shoes [cross]

Definitely not leaving till last minute (and we're away next 3 weeks)!

basildonbond · 30/07/2015 12:09

none of my children has had size 2 feet since they were in Y2 Shock

we're obviously a big-footed family ... Grin

my niece has size 9 feet and she's only 14

CMOTDibbler · 30/07/2015 12:12

Clarks will order in store and get them sent to you for free if you need a size they don't have. Which as ds is an H fitting is all the time.

Ds always grows hugely over the summer, so I don't buy until the last week. He's 9, and I expect these shoes to be a size 5.

crapfatbanana · 30/07/2015 12:20

I normally brave the shoe shops in the last week of the holidays with my four kids, but I have already bought a new pair for one child on my first ever visit to TK Maxx. Lovely shoes and only £12! Much better than £40+ a pair I usually pay.

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 30/07/2015 13:10

DS has only just started needing size 2 halfway through year 6, he had size 1s for three years in a row before that.

Pumpkinette · 31/07/2015 00:14

Schools are back up here in 2 weeks time so we already have school shoes bought in and ready to go. DD got through a full year and a bit without her feet growing (size 9) and kindly waited for summer before her feet grew.

Last year we had a pair of Ricosta and they were brilliant, only started to look a bit tired for the last few weeks so school. They were girls shoes but more of a 'boy style' so actually kept her feet dry in the rain. This year however she begged me not to get the same again as apparently kids at school were making fun of her for having boy shoes (despite the patent flower decoration on the straps) - first she mentioned it was in the shoe shop so I did feel kind of bad and didn't force her into the same style again.

This year she has a pair of patent Lelli Kelly's so we will see how they hold up. I have read good things so hope they were worth the extra money. It was that or the clarks ones with the bloody annoying doll in the heel, so I opted for the Lelli Kelly's as at least they don't have the big chunky raised heel that I know would make DD fall over as she has two left feet

Elibean · 31/07/2015 17:02

basil, the good thing about larger feet is they get adult choices at secondary - would have helped my finished-Y6-size-2-dd a lot Grin

PerspicaciaTick · 31/07/2015 17:19

On the plus side, I can now share my 11yo DDs shoes as her new school shoes are a size 8 Shock.

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