School shoes - recommendations/ places to avoid please

[penguinaballerina]

My 4 year old daughter is starting school in September and will need black school shoes (she has been mainly in trainers for the past year and a half). Can anyone recommend a good place to buy them? I need good quality and good fit (she has quite narrow feet) but hopefully not too expensive. Is it a bit pointless buying them now as her feet might grow? (hoping to avoid the school holiday rush). Any advice welcome!

i go to john lewis, have to q but great service, or russell and bromley.where do you live?

Don't go to Clarks in the week before they start - chaos and often evry little left. We use a small independent who sell mainly Startrite and have a very civilised appointment system where you prebook a slot and the shop is otherwise closed.

I go to Clarks, Charles Clinkard or John Lewis. Will probably go to John Lewis in early August for dd's shoes for next Sept, and only try Clarks if they don't have anything in. I wouldn't go now - a bit early, your dd's feet might grow!

We use small independant shop that sells startrite would def reccomend them. My ds very heavy on his feet and they lasted ages!

OK thanks. I think I will leave it until August and go early in the day to beat the crowds. I have heard bad things about Clarks, though I always wore Clarks when I was at school, tthey must have gone downhill since then!

Def go to an independant if you can - they have a much better choice for non standard feet (whether narrow or wide)

Mine always wear Clarks - Sometimes they have rubbed or otherwise not fitted properly, Clarks have always been willing to exchange them for new ones free of charge

Beware Clarks tendancy to slightly undermeasure their feet so they will need new ones more quickly

Clarks. We had to get patent leather ones because there was little else left - I thought they would look crap really quickly but they've worn really well.
They've been worn all year and haven't scuffed.
I would wait til August to get them tho.

Grit your teeth and get up early on the day before school and be first in the q at your lcoal independent shoe shop. I love start-rite but a good shop will know which brands suit a narrow foot - some of the lovely European brands come up narrower.

start rite are great - they have them at Jones the bootmakers too