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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

I'm sure this has been done before - but - school shoes!

77 replies

NigellaTheUndomesticGoddess · 09/06/2008 09:54

Apologes - this s long and turns into a bit of a rant.

At Easter - after trawling the south of england trying to find DD a pair of school shoes that would a. fit and b. not have butterflies/fairys/sparkles on, I gave up and got her a pair of black crocs. (yes i know some of you don't like crocs)
in favour of crocs:
DD will wear them
they are comfortable
she can run around in them
they don't have sparkly bits
they are easily cleanable
they won't give her bunyons
Now DDs school have told her that she is not allowed to wear them.
I've looked at the uniform policy - it states - shoes to be preferably brown or black. that's all. I saw her teacher this morning who mentioned the shoe issue - I didn't rant just quoted the policy back to her and asked why not black crocs. She didn't know and told me to talk to the head.

So am i going to have to once again trawl the country for shoes to fit dd? she won't be wearing cheap ones from woolworths, or ones that will damage her feet or slip off as she walks (dolly shoe types). Or do i stand my ground and argue with the school (again).
We've had so many issues with dd and school this year it feels like i'm having to fight with them every week and like dd said this morning it feels like they've run out of things to tell her off about. Every time she settles down a bit and i manage to get her through the door without tears and much persuasion they pick on something and it sets her off again.
am a bit fed up with it.

OP posts:

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bellavita · 09/06/2008 10:03

See, schools make their own rules up as and when it suits which really makes me angry.

Our school policy was the same up until a few months ago when they had some building work done.

I had just spent £46 on a new pair of school shoes for DS2, when a letter comes home stating that children are not to wear their outdoor shoes in school anymore (they need to bring slippers, pumps or trainers to wear inside) as they are trailing all the muck in from the building work. Even though the building work has now finished they still have to change. A girl in DS1's class has pink crocs.

So really, all I needed to do was buy two pair of cheapish trainers, one to walk to school in and one to wear inside.

I would ride it out and see. They may bring up safety reasons that they are not a full shoe, but hey it will be the end of term soon and do you really want to fork out any more money?

Nbg · 09/06/2008 10:04

Tbh if I were head of a school and I had a school uniform policy, Crocs would not be part of it.

The whole point of uniform is that it looks smart and Crocs dont really come under that category.
They're just casual rubber shoes

Get thee to Clarks.
If your paying £20 odd on Crocs, Clarks shoes cost the same.
Plus it wont be busy at this time of year.

Having said that, I would maybe talk to your head and say can she wear them till the end of Term and buy her shoes for after the holidays.
You'll be really pissed off if you buy some now and they dont fit when she goes back after the holidays.

cornsilk · 09/06/2008 10:04

Crocs in school!You have got to be kidding!

SmugColditz · 09/06/2008 10:05

Whatever you say to the head, slip the words "aimless victimisation and nit picking" in.

SmugColditz · 09/06/2008 10:06

May I add that in a state primary school, they can have as many policies about shoes as they like - they are NOT allowed to enforce it.

posieparker · 09/06/2008 10:07

Crocs are not a good or supportive enough shoe for day in, day out wear for school. Is your daughter overweight/very slim foot? Otherwise I cannot think why you can't find shoes.

DoubleBluff · 09/06/2008 10:07

Crocs aren't as sturdy as proper shoes and can come off whenrunning, climbing etc.
Would never have occurred to me to buy crocs for school, tbh.

bellavita · 09/06/2008 10:09

Because it suits our Head though crocs are ok which up until a few months ago, they would not have been and we do have a school uniform policy also.

Twinkie1 · 09/06/2008 10:09

DD wears T Bar Kickers in Black to school - they are not sparkly, are long lasting and great shoes. Crocs are not 'shoes' by any stretch of the imagination - they are bloody great bits of rubber/plastic and can;t even look smart or protect their feet properly - I would think that cheap leather ones from woolworths would be better than bloody crocs!

How about backing the school up and not fighting with them - they make the rules and you should go with them not fight them - it isn't setting a great example for your daughter if you aren't going to adhere to a rule about shoes is it? You fighting with them and DD seeing this is a vicious circle really - yes they may be telling her off about something but if then she comes home tells you and you go off in a rant it is backing her up and not helping at all, you and the school need to show a united front to get her to realise there are rules and she needs to stick to them.

mummydoc · 09/06/2008 10:12

why can't you find shoes that fit ?

pooka · 09/06/2008 10:14

DD's old pre-school wouldn't allow crocs. They said that children wearing them kept tripping up and bashing their faces. for the same reason, no open toed shoes either.

There are heaps of shops that sell shoes that are suitable for school. Try an independent shoe shop because they are more likely to have a full range. DD wears black ecco mary jane shoes. She is a 10.5 d/e.

Original poster

NigellaTheUndomesticGoddess · 09/06/2008 10:17

But i have tried to buy her proper shoes and i swear that none will fit her bloody feet.
and in comparison with woolies crap ones crocs do actually fit properly (i know i'm not going to convince the croc haters brigade so i'm not even going to try). And clarks shoes have ridiculous butterflies and plastic toys attached which are equally rubbish

Why should DD not see me questioning stupid ideas and rubbish new rules? I'd rather she grew up to question things she desn't like or belive in rather than just dumbly accepting the status quo because someone who thinks they are in charge says so.

OP posts:

cece · 09/06/2008 10:17

I agree with Twinkle.

DD has Hush Puppies. No sparkle or fairies and they come with two different sized insoles so you can get the fit just perfect.

irisha · 09/06/2008 10:19

and what exactly is wrong with Start Rite shoes? As fas as I can remember from last shoe buying visit to the department store, plenty of models without sparkles, fairies, flowers, etc, and they have tons of model for different kind of foot.
I wouldn't feel comfortable at all with my DD wearing Crocs at school: how can she run, climb, jump, hop in them AND be safe?

Original poster

NigellaTheUndomesticGoddess · 09/06/2008 10:20

I don't know why i can't find shoes that fit.
I have tried every clarks/independent shoe shop in
Swindon
reading
Bristol
London.

Either they don't fit or they don't have alternitives in stock. Or the only pair that will fit has sparkly bit involved and DD womn't wear them (and believe me she really won't - I've donated a number of pairs to oxfam neer worn)
it drives me utterly bonkkers. it really does.

OP posts:

Nbg · 09/06/2008 10:20

What about Brantano?
They have a good range.

Also Startrite.

Original poster

NigellaTheUndomesticGoddess · 09/06/2008 10:20

tried startrite too
and you can run/climb/hop in crocs

OP posts:

Twinkie1 · 09/06/2008 10:22

Because you are going to be the teachers worse nightmare - there are rules that she must adhere to and that it that regardless of whether you agree or don't agree with them - she is going to give you trouble all of the way through school and you are making a super huge rod for your own back listening to her - and I really do not believe that you cannot get a single pair of shoes to fit - DD has terribly narrow feet - so much so that we used to have to have extra velcro put on shoes so the straps would stay shut - a pair of sparkly shoes and a child that adheres to the rules and gets a good education without a meddling parent disrupting her education for spurious reasons - I know which one I would choose!

misdee · 09/06/2008 10:23

if the cheapo woolies ones actually fit, then get those for now, they only have 6 weeks left at school anyway, and dont they change into indoor shoes when they get there?

posieparker · 09/06/2008 10:24

You have to tell your daughter to wear what fits, it's called parental control. If she's not doing as she's told now, what next? I think that clothes/attire is not a serious issue but if it's school uniform then you've got to adhere to them rules.

Twinkie1 · 09/06/2008 10:24

How old is your daughter - anything in primary school is a case of you will wear these shoes or you will go barefoot - and when they get to school and they refuse even when the teacher tells them to wear them it is because you have taught her to not really give two hoots about authority by your constant backing her up about trivial matters she comes home whining about!

phatcat · 09/06/2008 10:27

if you know her size / width, try looking on eBay. Both my ds's are a H width and I buy sizes ahead in advance from eBay. If you look consistently new / almost new shoes do come up often - StartRite, Buckle My Shoe, Geox, Angulus, etc. I've had some real bargains. I also bought a foot gauge so I can keep track of when their size changes.

hotcrossbunny · 09/06/2008 10:28

I'm having a similar problem re: shoes for school.

My dd has a very slim shallow foot and we just haven't managed to get nice school shoes for her. We did manage to get one pair of Startrite to sort of fit, but she came home from school 2 days later in her plimsoles as the shoes had broken we returned them but the shop didn't have any others.

Atm she is wearing(completely against the grain but they fit) non leather slightly boyish shoes from Stead and Simpson. To give them their due though, they took time to get her size and fit perfect, unlike Clarks. They only need to last til the end of term, but already they're fraying and they're only 3 days old

mummydoc · 09/06/2008 10:29

my dd1 has very narrow feet, a high arch and a very pointy narry posterior ankle, so yes shoe fitting is tricky , startrites fit well, but i went to an independent shop and tried loads of styles, ( you need a shop that stocks italian shoes) . i think this is mor eto do with your feelings about hr school ... if you really do not like the school move her or go for a school wiht no uniform

frogs · 09/06/2008 10:29

These shoes come in every width fitting from C to H. How can there possibly not be anything that fits?

And I speak as one whose dd's school is Liberty Hall in respect of footwear -- dd wore crocs all last summer and is in a mixture of start rites and doodles this summer. But if the school specified dark proper shoes, then I'd grit my teeth and get her a pair.

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