Are kids picked on for having 'cheap' PE trainers?

[MamaMimi]

Apparently the trainers my sister has bought from Tesco for my Dnephew will make him a source of ridicule for being cheap trainers rather than being Nike or such like.

I guess it depends on where your dc goes to school but this must be the case in many areas all over the country.

Surely, with the economic climate being what it is these days, not everyone can afford brand named school items as well as all the required uniform bits and pieces.

Parents of seconday aged kids must feel such pressure to spend more money on things than they would ordinarily do due to the peer pressure from other kids.

Spend what you can afford and risk your dc being picked on or blow your budget to prevent that from happening - what a choice.

Yup they're bullied. Or they were 8 years ago when I was last at school! Me and DP are going with the one nice pair of trainers per year and if they're ruined then that's it.

DS(15) has cheap trainers for PE and its never been a problem. They have to be white and as plain as possible so maybe that helps.

Sadly, this is probably true, ds2 refused to wear gym shoes once he was in about P5.

deffo they call em some nasty names .

My 11 yr old DS gets nike ones, because they are a great, wide fit, and about £20 or less in these out of town mall sports discount places...often doing a 50% off 2nd pair offer.
I was a little at first but they really are a better quality than supermarket ones, and at his age he really gives them a hammering

at our high school the trainers have to be plainish and ds1 has had plain black ones, not really cheap but say £20ish from sports direct and he has not had an issue with bullying.

Ds got the piss taken out of him quite badly because of cheap trainers. However if you go to sports direct you can usually get a branded pair at a decent price. They may not be the most up to date but they should be enough to stop the nastiness.

Bullied here. Sports Direct Nike's are not much dearer than Tesco's trainers on teen sizes though, thank god.

No bullying here, primary and secondary kids wear gym shoes with no issues

I have assumed bullying, so bought DS the adidas predator's he says everyone has. They were £30. However, they won't be staying at school. He'll be wearing them at home and taking them in when needed. That was my compromise

Thanks everyone for your comments.

I will pass on some of the advice to go to Sports Direct to my sister.

I think, as some of you mention, that it should be down to the schools to discourage this sort of peer pressure by only allowing 'plain' trainers etc

No, neither of mine have been / are (ds, Yr 11 going into 6th form at one school, and dd, between Yr8 and Yr9 at another).

That was happening when my DBro and I were at school in the 90s.

One boy got bullied for bringing in Asda's own brand coke, instead of coca-cola

My mum refused to buy me trainers despite the school saying we needed them. I got plimsoles. I only got mildly bullied for it but felt embarrassed so saved birthday and Xmas money to buy my own. She could afford trainers, I just don't think she cared.

I agree there should be a 'uniform' for trainers/plimsoles. It's shallow but it feels horrid at the time.

3 kids at secondary here and they've always taken in old/cheap trainers for PE and I don't think anyone has ever commented. 15 year old DS2, who is mega cool and clothes conscious, just sticks any old pair of his dad's cheapo, bashed up trainers in his gym bag.

I suspect that, if a child is going to be bullied, the bullies will find something to have a go at and trainers are an obvious target. If a child isn't going to be bullied then they can probably get away with cheap stuff. Not sure if I've explained that very well ...

My 2 had cheap Tescos trainers last year, with no trouble, getting cheap Gola ones from Shoe zone this year, (£10.99 at the moment). Lots of their mates seem to wear these at school.

Cheapies from one of the ghastly sports warehouse places - no one cares.

The one child that ponced about in designer trainers soon got brought down to earth - PE teacher wipes mud across them after child complained that field was muddy and his new trainers cost £80!! rest of class laughed!!

It's the opposite at DD2's school. She has "challenging" feet, and so needs well fitted trainers. Everyone wears ultra cheap plimsoles though, and she is desperate to get them. All sorts of stupid excuses for not wearing trainers.

M and M Direct is your friend.

It was true when I was at school. Similar for school shoes, bags and coats.

Dd1 told me today that you get picked on for having cheap plimsolls. Every one wears ones with embellishments or ones by something called Flossie. She's only 8.

Having girls I don't think anyone cares much. DD1 is wearing 3 year old Clarks ones. DD2 has Nike ones because we have a Nike outlet shop and really nice ones are cheaper than Clarks.

Officially all PE trainers and track suites are supposed to be plain and unbranded, but given said Nike shop and a big sports direct cheap branded stuff is actually far easier to get and school have given up.

The official plain black track suit bottoms are expensive and far too warm.

DSs going into Yr8 and Yr10 and not had a problem with them wearing various cheap black branded ones from Sports Direct. Apparently lots of their friends wear expensive ones, but they've never had anyone bullying or making unpleasant comments, general comments maybe, but not malicious ones.

Nope - no bullying on cheap stuff round here - we have the oddly middle class anti-snobbery here -"Oh they only cost a fiver from ASDA you know" despite folks having squillions....

When I was at school people were bullied for writing notes in a class rather than picking on the teacher.

If tell my DD to tell the bullies to go fuck themselves. Year 9/10 above only.