School shoes for big-feeted 11 year old

[Englishladyofacertainage]

I've always taken my son to a specialist kids' shoe shop for his school shoes. He's now a size 41 EU (7 or 8 UK?) and their stock stops at size 40. Where are you meant to get good school shoes for a boy who still plays on climbing frames and up trees but has adult-sized feet? He's also like the princess and the pea with any little bumps in the lining or insoles so we need a selection!

Somewhere that sells mens work shoes, for manual work

Happens to every teen eventually as most manufacturers stop kids sizes at adult 6. Clarks outlet near us has plenty of black lace up shoes in the men's section. My 14yo found a reasonably rugged pair there and they weren't that much more in price I don't think. They seem OK anyway and cope with daily football and mucking about.

DS grew out of children's shoes in Y4. We got him men's shoes - Next, Clark's, Hush Puppies, Geox... anywhere we could find a style narrow enough for his very slim feet. He's 16 now and topped out at a size 13 a couple of years ago.

Dr martens.

My son is exactly the same...11 with size 7/8 feet. My son is an avid footballer so his shoes take the brunt. I found a really decent pair from M&S with a reinforced rubber sole that curves further over at the front and they have lasted him an entire school year. M&S do go up to size 9 as well, so that's good to know as well!

Same issue here so we just buy adult shoes now, some new but more often from vinted. You get get new at a fraction of the price. X

Unfortunately you need men’s shoes now.
I am a fan of John Lewis as they stock a variety of brands and styles.

Clarks stock up to a UK size 10 in the children's school shoes section. Once they hit 10.5 onwards then it's the men's section.

Actually, StartRite go up to a 9 in boys' and girls' school shoes, but if i remember rightly, they come up half a size smaller than Clark's.

Start Rite Rhino Warrior shoes go up to a size 9. They have a velcro and a laced version and they’re very hard wearing.

Hooray! I called the shop and they actually stock quite a lot up to size 45/6 (the stuff on their website stops at 40), so we were able to go there and get school shoes and sandals in the same brand as his last, beloved pair (Ricosta) in 41.

Similarly big-footed DS (shoe size the same as his school year, from Year 1 to Year 12) had Startrite Rhino up to their largest size, which was at least size 9, then plain Clarks’ men’s shoes.

Main issue for him was at size 3 (Year 3), as he had to move from Velcro closures to laced styles and had to learn to tie his own laces well (poor fine motor skills, though very good gross ones). That was a long summer holiday!

I feel for you. Me it is my daughter, she is a 9,5uk size which is a eu 43 44 and there isn't shoes her size that is age-appropriate. We've faced the issue since she was 9 as she was always above the 99 percentile and grew very quickly. Clarks were great and the best as they also do wide feet for children. I found that it isn't just about length but also the volume of the foot ( instep) and the shape of her toes that I had to take into account.