Girls school shoes that will last!

[beigetea]

I am on the hunt for a pair of hard wearing school shoes for a 6 year old who likes to scuff shoes..

We have tried:
Clarks
Matalan
Next
Asda
Sainsbury's
Lidl

The best so far have been Lidl! They have lasted since September but are now scuffing at the front and you can only get these at certain times.

So please let me know where to get hard wearing school shoes!

We have Start Rite here too. Started off with Clarks out of nostalgia because I always had them as a child & we lived near the factory & my mum got a discount. However, these days they are made abroad & barely last a term so after about 3 years we gave up on them. Have never been disappointed with the Start Rite ones - they always last the year & they are made in the UK.

I buy lelli Kelli shoes and they last really well. And my girls are hard wearing on them as well.

M and S get my vote.. decent quality decent price

Honestly… my answer is doc martens. I believe they were called “maccy” DD5 looks lovely in them and they are holding up so well! They look practically brand new and she does forest school in them! Hers are patent but they also had a pair with bows if that makes it more girly for your DD, our school wouldn’t allow the bows! we got them from schuh and they often do discounts!

Agreed!

Ricosta. Dd gets a new pair each September and they, so far (she's in year 5) have lasted the full school year. Great for narrower feet.

Schuh!

DD had the plain leather version of these and they were great (so great that she wore them for most of a school year and we were able to pass them on to my friend’s DC for a spare pair!)

https://www.shoezone.com/Products/Hush-Puppies-Gracie-Kids-Leather-Shoe-Sizes-10-2-204087?siz=13&utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=surfaces-across-google&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqLzRnYnVhQMVzpdQBh2ZRglWEAQYASABEgL91PD_BwE

I bought some Kickers off Amazon for £28. They are slightly big at size two for my six year old so will be for September but I hope they will last.

Have we got the same daughter? Mine has wrecked five pairs since September and only likes the girly ones.

M&S! My DD has had three pairs of the patent T bar ones in different designs, she always grew out of them rather than wore them out. They’re really sturdy, still looked great each time she needed new ones!

Lelli Kelly - they lasted my active daughter a whole school year. She's a teenager now and her school shoes all seem to fall apart after a few months.

Both my DDs now wear Angry Angels. They have lasted really well and are grown out of rather than destroyed.

TBH, she might prefer dainty 'girlie' shoes, but I wouldn't be offering the choice. I give the fitter a list of what I want (no Mary Janes, no slip ons, no patent), they match it to what works for their foot shape, and if there is more than 1 suitable pair then DC can choose between them. I put a lot of time into teaching them to tie laces early on (they learnt at 5 and 6yo respectively), which gave us more options. Flimsy 'girlie' shoes are no good if they need to walk to school or are in any way active.
I did indulge their desire for 'pretty' unicorn vomit covered shoes in the shape of Lelli Kelly and Sketchers Hi-tops, however. They had feet like flashing disco balls on the weekend (although these still kept their feet dry and allowed them to run and climb) - maybe that's the compromise?

Lelli Kelly's have always lasted well for my daughters but I seem to be in the minority there have heard a lot of complaints from other mums about them but I've never had any issues.

My older daughter had doc martens school shoes a few years back and they were amazing they lasted 2 years and then passed them down to a friend who used them for her daughter and they looked good as new when I gave her them!

Same here. M&S also do some good sturdy girls shoes, none of the flimsy crap that most places seem to sell. Some of their shoes actually look and feel a bit like kickers or DMs but they’re half the price.

Geox lasted really well on my toes destroying DD

Startrite last the year unless they're outgrown.

Look at the kickers plunk, they lasted my girl a full year

DD's startrite are girly Mary Janes and have lasted really well. Comfy and still look great from August.

Ricosta shoes are hard wearing and flexible although on the pricier side.

I'm with all the people saying M&S - my DD's are off Vinted so already been worn but still lasting her brilliantly!

For the last 3 years DD has had kickers, the lace up patent ones that look a bit like Converse, I get them 0.5 size bigger in September and each year I've not had to buy another pair of shoes!

I've found Clarks are no where near the quality they used to be. They seem to be living on past reputation. I suppose it all depends on how quckly their feet grow. Is it worth paying less but more often, if she is prone to a growth spurt. Personally I've found Kickers and Dr Martens the best options, but then you're paying top price. I always check out places like MandM or Sports Direct, who often have discounted Kickers.

So for anyone interested.. I bought her some kickers and this was after day 1. I despair.

I think you have to accept that most shoes will do this if your child is having fun and engaging in everything at school.

Just whack some polish on them weekly and they'll last fine.