School shoes - are they destined to always look like this?

[DeliciouslyBaked]

DD1 needed new school shoes. She is in reception. She had outgrown the last pair and they were incredibly scuffed. We bought a new pair, which were identical but a different size and this is what they look like after ONE DAY of wear 😩 The toe is all scuffed already (photo incoming). Is this just what it's like with reception children? Am i expecting too much? Is it a faulty shoe? (She is my eldest in case it wasnt already painfully obvious).

They were from Clarks, but that is our only local shop really, especially at non Aug / Sept time of year. Otherwise its buying online and sending back. Are there more hard-wearing ones out there? She is allowed trainers on PE days, but otherwise it has to be a plain black shoe.

Agree with looking for styles with a rubber cap over the toe.

Another recommendation for bgreater shoes. My Y1 daughter is on her 3rd pair of patent shoes, all outgrown. Her first pair she outgrew in June of reception and I sold them on as they were still in great condition!

Patent leather shoes are your friend.

seems counterintuitive but in my experience last much better than plain leather.

do you use shoe polish on them?

We also have Ricosta, very hard wearing, and with a proper, flexible, grippy sole. And a drop of nail varnish covers any marks on the patent, much longer lasting that polish over scuffs on regular leather.

I've found M&S ones good. They do half sizes and returns are easy. I've only ever bought Clarks trainers for kids but gave up after the second or third pair looked scruffy incredibly quickly. I don't understand why people buy from them at all as I don't think my children are particularly hard-wearing on shoes - not had issues with any other (cheaper!) brands.

You do need to polish leather shoes! It must be a lost art.
It would be useful to find out what's causing it, for example fidgeting on her chair with dangling feet/toes scuffing the floor, or a particular activity at playtime. Unlikely a 5 year old will have the self awareness not to do it though, so you might have to just accept they look a little worn in until she grows out of it.

Just get some black liquid polish..

My daughter had some school shoes from bgreater last year and because they are barefoot style they are roomy and she wore them all last school year and is still in them now, so 18 months so far and they honestly still look immaculate.

I got my son’s school shoes from an online shop called Be greater. He’s reception class too so it’s our first time having to buy school shoes and they’re great. Still look fairly new despite riding his scooter to school and back most days in them.

I initially went to Clarks for some but they measured his feet that he was a 9.5f in one foot and a 10.5f in the other despite having them measured a few months earlier and being a 9f in both feet…I could obviously believe the 9.5 but for one foot to be a 10.5 I thought that was unlikely so told them I’d leave it. Bought one of the Begreater foot measurers and he measured just shy of a 10 in both feet so went with them.

Clarks weren't that great for us - expensive and seemed to wear down quite quickly. M&S school shoes were reportedly comfortable, and they stood up to a battering, and DC have had those all the way through primary.