PE Shoes

[gigi556]

I'm not from the UK so this is a bit odd to me... what's the deal with PE shoes? I've only seen them in the supermarkets so I'm wondering if you can get better ones? If so, which brands? I appreciate my DS won't wear them much but they don't seem very supportive for growing feet. I'm a bit of a shoe snob and like to spend a bit more on good quality shoes that support the feet.

Or course you can! How old is he and is it for indoor and/ or outdoor PE? Mine had trainers from Clark's when they first started school but now we go to Sports Direct and they usually choose Nike / Adidas etc. As long as the soles are non marking most schools don't seem to mind what you have.

Do you mean the black plimsoll type? You can get slightly better startrite ones. They are still basically plimsolls though.
Think of it as being one step up from bare feet.

Should say, the start rite ones will be from an independent shoe shop.

Oh sorry. I thought you meant trainers. Mine have never needed those plimsolls across 3 different schools but I do remember wearing them myself!.

Does your DC school ask specifically for PE shoes/plimsolls? My DC is in primary and she just wears trainers for PE. We tend to get Nike ones. I've had supermarket ones before but they fall apart quite quickly in my experience.

The school specifically asks for the plimsolls. They just look like the most rubbish pair of shoes ever! Will have a look at start rite for them. I have bought from them in the past for trainers.

Schools often do in lower years as easy to get on and off and only used for 1-2 hours a week

Bear in mind the rest of the time they prob stay in PE bag on peg or in a locker / tray. Often left in school for whole 1/2 term. Youngest kids rarely bring them home every day. So you can't use outside school. So cheap plimsolls are fine

There are a lot of posters recently with an interest in plimsolls and an inability to google.

Obviously I don’t include the OP in this but it is most odd.

It's not that I can't google to see where I can buy them, I was hoping to find out if any brand makes a decent pair! They are very flimsy shoes.

@gigi556

It's not that I can't google to see where I can buy them, I was hoping to find out if any brand makes a decent pair! They are very flimsy shoes.

A plimsol is a plimsol. They are supposed to be flimsy.

Didn't realize this was a common thread/topic!
I'm on here all the time and haven't seen one. I'm from the USA. We wear trainers for PE like normal people!!!! Plimsolls for exercise are a fucking joke. Just wanted to know if there were any brands with actual support for growing feet.

Here, plimsolls are only normally used for indoor PE, trainers for outdoor. So they would be worn for a maximum of 30 minutes a week- which means most people just buy the cheap ones!

Are you going to post a picture of the plimsolls shortly

@spanieleyes ah ok... yeah, I'm from California so only had indoor PE handful of times in my life 😂😂

Do you mean these? Kids grow out of them before they've worn them more than a dozen times.

(They also have regional names. In Bristol they are known as daps)

Expect a bit more in the UK!
In my experience, schools aim for 2 hours of PE a week but rarely get there, the curriculum is so crowded it's hard to fit everything in! One session would be outdoor PE ( so football, hockey, rugby in autumn/winter and cricket, rounders, tennis, athletics in spring/summer. The other session will be indoors and will alternate between gym and dance. Then when it rains there is a scrabble to get to the hall to try to fit your outdoor session inside! Crab football is always popular!

DS is starting Y3 this time and he’s got a pair of black Nikes - before this he’s had the black plimsolls. Initially I bought Clarks, then whatever I found if we needed some. They’ve been fine - I always buy decent shoes but plimsolls are worn for such a short time and DS hasn’t mentioned they’re uncomfortable

In fact, lots of schools insist on bare feet of gym and dance so you can check foot position! Mind you, no one then wants the 1.15 slot as you have to dance round the squashed peas🤮

Black daps for reception & Ks1
Trainers for KS2 (nicer trainers for Y5/6)

Hi all,

We know that this is (strangely) a topic that sometimes does attract trolls, but we have no reason whatsoever to believe the OP isn't genuine here and we don't allow troll hunting in any case.

We got daps from Clarks, they seem more substantial than the supermarket ones.

I didn't want to fork out for proper trainers for an hour a week!