Do I really need to buy DD plimsoles for P.E?

[Cottonbud25]

My daughter is starting Reception in September. Since covid the kids now go to school in their P.E kit for 2 days a week. So I’ve bought my daughter some plain black trainers for P.E and I’m just wondering do I need to get her some plimsoles aswell for indoor P.E? And will these stay at school in her bag along with her spare uniform or will she walk to school in her plimsoles? How will I know if she’s doing indoor or outdoor P.E 😅 it’s all so confusing!

No, since we moved to kids being dressed in PE kit all day everyone just wears trainers, you’ll be fine

Thank you 😅

It sounds like trainers will be fine, however a cheap pair of pumps for her spare clothes bag might not be a bad idea if you can stretch to it. If she has an accident, she’s likely to want a change of shoes.

Just stick with the trainers. The school will tell you if you need something different. It’s important to remember not everything has to be sorted before that first week they start school.

We don't wear plimsolls for indoor PE. It's bad practice (and unsafe for gymnastics).

Thank you for this comment, I really appreciate it ❤️

I don’t buy separate indoor plimsoles for PE just indoor trainers for class they can use for PE. Some children have indoor shoes that aren’t practical for PE leather Mary Janes etc then they need a second pair.

There are children who have school shoes, indoor shoes, outdoor PE shoes, indoor PE shoes wellies and football boots but I like to double up as much as by possible.

Aren’t plimsolls usually school ‘slippers’ that they change into and wear indoors all day? Black trainers would be just for pe.

Plimsolls are rubbish as they don't stay on properly unless you have wide feet. They are definitely falling out of favour in schools.

She definitely won't need them if she is coming to school in her PE kit.

If plimsolls are on the uniform list then you'll need them. If not then you won't. My girls always did indoor PE in bare feet so we didn't need them but schools are different.

At my DS’ school they need plimsolls for indoor PE. They go to school dressed in PE kit (including trainers) then switch to plimsolls to do indoor PE. They stay at school until the end of each term.

Whether they need them will depend of whether the school has told you they do or not.

Plenty of shops sell Velcro ones now so you should be able to get a pair that fit, definitely don’t put up with a floppy pair.

My DC have rarely worn them, but speaking as a Reception TA, they are very useful to have 'just in case'. Just in case can range from over exuberant water tray play to toileting accidents. You can pick them up in Shoezone for between £1 and £3.

If your child does have narrow feet, the velcro riptape ones in ASDA are £2.50 and they can do up fairly tight,
As they are cheap though I didnt mind sticking an extra bit of velcro on the side so they could do up extra tight for my very narrow footed daughter

I’ve bought DD plimsolls from reception to Year 3. They came back unused every ywar. I haven’t bothered since. Waste of money!

Depends on the school - ours has always specified "trainers OR plimsolls" so I've just exiled the most knackered pair of trainers to the PE bag (cos they'll get lost inevitably). These days the school doesn't have a hall so PE is always outdoors and therefore it's definitely more trainers than plimsolls.

check the school policy.

if the school uses a 'proper' sports hall usually trainers with white or non markingsoles are required.
our dc need 2 paors of trainerx for pe - white soled for indoors and a separate pair for out doors.

plimsoles mighg be s good idea anyway in winter to change into if the shoes get too wet outside.

What does the uniform list say?

Depends on the school. My son's pe was barefeet

These must be different to the plimsolls we had when I was a kid — my mum got me out of having to wear them by writing to the school and telling them my feet were too wide for plimsolls so I'd be wearing trainers instead. (Love my mum — years before all the awareness we supposedly have now, just calmly telling the school what they needed to do differently for me to cater for my specific needs. To be fair, my feet were very wide, but I suspect a kid without my sensory issues would've been able to tolerate it more easily.)

They wear them all day at our primary. Change shoes on the way in. Coat, outdoor shoes off, pumps on. Pumps live at school.

it’s been a nightmare for us as DCs feet just don’t fit them. The one size, elastic velcro ones just don’t go small enough. They look like clown shoes on my dc and just flop off. They have taken full advantage and like to just kick them off, fully done up, by flicking the ankle and they fly off forwards. Zero support for the foot. They haven’t a hope of running in them so do PE barefoot.

Depends what kind of room they use for indoor. It might be a space they want to keep clean and therefore black trainers that she’s walked to school in might not be ok.

Thank you for the comments everyone. I think I will get her some just in case and just leave them in her spare uniform bag. That way she’ll always have a spare pair of shoes at school just in case 😊

My children always wore proper shoes to school with a uniform. They changed for PE. Non mark trainers or plimsoles when in infants. Plimsoles are not designed to be worn all day for growing feet as they are not measured to fit the child’s foot and are not supportive. Proper shoes have widths and lengths tailored to a child’s foot. I never let my DC wear poor shoes all day even if the junior school allowed it. Feet are important.

My sons’ school always had trainers & plimsolls on the uniform list. Bought both but plimsolls have never been worn. I’d wait to see if they’re really needed.

If they have to wear plimsolls and it is financially viable, clarks and startrite used to do plimsolls on proper sizes and width fittings which were the only ones that fitted my DD. They were expensive but Thankfully they wore really well and I could pass them down to my equally narrow footed younger children.