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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

DD's feet are too small for school!

64 replies

AuntieBulgaria · 03/06/2012 20:33

DD starts school in Sept. I took a quick look at school shoes (i know, i know, pfb and all that).

All the school styles start at size 9. She's just gone into a clarks' 8.5 E, having been an 8 for an age. In another shoe shop with a startrite measure she was a 7.5!

Anyone recommend a shop for scuff proof shoes for smallish feet?

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thisisyesterday · 03/06/2012 21:42

i think it depends on the branch! i used to work in clarks, and i never ever had a pair of shoes returned because of a bad fit (that I'd fitted I mean) cos I was bloody brilliant

awigandalager · 03/06/2012 21:56

Oh dear. My DS starts in September, he is a size 5! His feet grow so slowly, but at least he wears shoes out rather than out-grows them.

jubilee10 · 03/06/2012 21:57

Marks and spencer school shoes start at 7.

5madthings · 03/06/2012 22:14

we always get ours from independent shoe shop, they tend to end up with ricosta or geox, but my boys and dd have wide, chunky feet with a high instep as well, makes shoe buying expensive, clarks, startrite etc never had anything to fit them!

but i dont think your dds feet are unusually small at all, so sure once it gets to summer and they start stocking more shoes you will find some :)

horsemadmom · 03/06/2012 22:39

DD was a size 6 in reception. We special ordered Start Rite Louisa shoes through John Lewis. Also had to special order her uniform and have half of the pinnafore cut off in length and width. She's taller than me now!

iceandsliceplease · 03/06/2012 23:18

Start-Rite are brilliant - we always buy school shoes from their factory shop and they definitely do school shoes in very small sizes. Try independent shoe shops - they rely on reputation rather than name so offer a better service ion my experience

CardyMow · 04/06/2012 00:18

Independent shoe shops. They do 'proper' school shoes in smaller sizes. I had to find a pair of boys size 7 when DS2 started school! Doubt I'll have that issue with DS3, mind you - he's just gone into a size 5 at just 16mo!

Lucky13 · 04/06/2012 14:31

DD starts school in September too and she is a 7.5/8 C!!! Clarks basically told us they couldn't help and so did a lot of the independent ones. I have found one Startrite pair, but she hates them. I'm getting slightly worried now about not coming up with anything. At the moment she is wearing lace up trainers as these are the only type that will fit - obviously though she can't wear these to school

KitKatGirl1 · 04/06/2012 19:10

Agree, Clarks very poor quality. Ecco, Startrite etc much better and last longer, also much more smart looking. Always go independent for shoe shopping!

Runoutofideas · 04/06/2012 19:20

My dd started last September in reception in size 6 startrite baby range black patent shoes. Now she's a size 7 and there's loads more choice - I think at 8.5 you won't have a problem!

Elibean · 04/06/2012 19:51

Both my dds were size 7 when they started school

TheGravyTrain · 04/06/2012 19:58

Clarks do school shoes that small

awigandalager · 04/06/2012 23:03

not only is he a size 5, he's an E fitting. I am never going to get school shoes for him. AND UNTIL THIS THREAD I WAS CLUELESS.

silverfrog · 04/06/2012 23:09

dd2 is not an 8.5 yet, and she is nearing the end of reception!

she was a 6 when she started - school shoes were ok, it was football boots I had a problem finding - utter nightmare, most places only had boots starting at a 10 .

Original poster

AuntieBulgaria · 05/06/2012 08:04

Awigandalager - I'm sorry, I didn't mean to panic anyone.

To begin with, it had just amused me; the notion that her feet were too small for school - as I said up thread, I haven't done an extensive search.

There are people that are pointing out suppliers, several people who have found s mall shoes and a few people who have found the choice to be limited.

I'm going to look in Brantano today ( now I've started this thread I feel duty bound) and will report back on smaller sizes. But I feel sure there will be greater choice in July/ August anyway. Good luck!

OP posts:

Moshlingmummy · 05/06/2012 09:05

Dd is diddy and was a 6 when she started and not allowed patent shoes either. Start rite always have some that small and John Lewis. Not cheap mind but they do start that small.

LIZS · 05/06/2012 09:28

dd was only a 6 when she started school - have always had Startrite for her as her feet are narrow. There may be a limited selection of styles but Bolero and Trilogy come up that small iirc, including non patent. If you go early then they can order in the relevant size. We might have an issue with dd starting senior school in September as she's still only a 1 -1.5 and won't want little girl styles any more :(

ItWasThePenguins · 05/06/2012 09:31

I bought my ds what i would call school shoes for our wedding, he's almost 2 and size 6, from asda George.

Original poster

AuntieBulgaria · 05/06/2012 16:32

Ok. Brantano - the branch I went to had Startrite Trilogy in sizes from 6.5 to 8.5 in an F and G fittings.

We started with an 8, which was too small. I'm not entirely sure what happened but between DD and the shop assistant, they decided the 8.5 f wasn't right. We tried a 9 in something else but that was too big.

They also had two pre-school styles which I would have been happy with kickers and Oshkosh that were black, but in whole sizes from 4-9. My window for getting DD to try things on had closed by then so I didn't give them a go.

I will try our independent shop next week and see how we get on.

OP posts:

LIZS · 05/06/2012 18:18

dd has only ever had d or e fitting so you certainly can get Trilogy narrower than an F if needs be. They size up about half a size less than Clarks so an 8/8.5 might be right.

shattereddreams · 05/06/2012 20:12

DD is an D width fitting, just turned 5 and now size 9 (not Clarks, they size up so 9.5 there I think)
I got her Ecco Fantasy shoes at an independant. She was an 8 last year but they actually fitted her with insoles.
These shoes have an insole which comes out so we put in a foam insert underneath.
Then when she grew, a cork insole and finally now this term, no insole.
They have lasted the entire school year! Slow growing feet.

Plimsoles are a PITA. Again, I put foam insoles in, she won't wear the Clarks ones as she saw the pretty pink stitched ones in Sainsbury. sigh

ibizagirl · 06/06/2012 08:00

Oh dear. I had the opposite with dd when she started reception. She has always had big feet because she is very tall. Her first school shoes had to be navy and she was a size 12 and a half H. The lady in Clarks said it was big and they had a general rule for younger children. It was something like take the age and add four (or five) to it for the size. Don't see how that can work.??

Becksharp · 06/06/2012 09:24

Size 8.5?! DS in recep is 13.5...breeding giants here...

Becksharp · 06/06/2012 09:27

DS's first pair of shoes, aged 13 months were a 7...

Justcallmemummypig · 06/06/2012 10:50

Becksharp - dd's first pair of shoes were a 2.5 at about the same age!

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