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Secondary education

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Original poster

Boys' shoes beyond size 7?

29 replies

chocolateVanilla · 18/01/2014 17:30

My DS is actually still at primary school but is already in a size 7 shoe, so I'm hoping to pick the brains of those of you with slightly older children. We've always bought Clarks shoes, or occasionally Geox, but I'm being told by our usual retailers that they only sell childrens' school shoes beyond size 7, not casual shoes. So where do we go from here? Is our only option to buy adult shoes, which include VAT?

OP posts:
BellaVita · 18/01/2014 17:34

Afraid so.

lljkk · 18/01/2014 17:43

Wow, impressive feet on your boy!!
VAT unavoidable, but be clever about it. Shop around.

BikeRunSki · 18/01/2014 17:49

M&S boys school shoes bigger than a 7 and are reasonably priced and hard wearing. My very thrifty neighbour put me onto them and she has teenagers now. I nearly bought myself some of their brogues! (I am an 8).

Original poster
chocolateVanilla · 18/01/2014 20:05

Thanks all. Any particular retailers/brands I should look at, given that his feet are still growing, and I'd still like someone to check his size and make sure they fit properly before I buy them? Plus, they need to look good in the eyes of a pre-teen. I had a quick look in the mens' dept at Clarks but they all looked to be styled very much for 'proper grown ups' rather than teenagers.

OP posts:
mumma24 · 18/01/2014 20:20

So annoying isn't it, my boys have big feet, yep adults shoes it is, all 4 of my kids have Big feet and tall so growing out of children's sizes at a young age, so unfair!

purpleroses · 19/01/2014 10:36

Same problem here. DS now 14 and size 11 Shock
I gave up on Clarks and started buying cheaper brands - eg Mr Shoe

bigTillyMint · 19/01/2014 10:40

Purpleroses, my DS is also size 11 and he is 12!!!
He wears Kickers - not cheap, but quite hardwearing and Barratts often have deals on them.

southeastastra · 19/01/2014 10:54

my ds is 12 and has size 10 feet!! the last pair (boots from tesco around £20 and leather) lasted 6 weeks. just went to sports soccer and got some lee cooper ones that will probably last a month.

it is seriously annoying me now, they just aren't built to last and i have tried a wide range of makes/prices.

wish they could wear trainers to school as at least they tend to not fall apart.

southeastastra · 19/01/2014 10:57

i will check out kickers do they soles stay on? this seems to be a major problem for ds, the soles wear out really quickly or fall off!

bigTillyMint · 19/01/2014 12:31

The soles have never fallen off, but DS is very heavy on his feet and in Y7 was playing about in the playground a lot, so they did wear through a bit (ankle boot style). This pair (the shoe-type) seem to be lasting well though!

DS says all the boys are wearing leather Vans now, so that'll be the next pair....!

exexpat · 19/01/2014 12:36

DS's non-school shoes have come from Sports Direct since he was that sort of age. He's not into trainers, but they do all the Vans/Converse/Airwalk etc kind, and much cheaper than mainstream shoe shops.

MrsAMerrick · 19/01/2014 14:37

My ds1 had size 8 feet by age 10, size 10 feet by age 12 and size 12 feet at age 13. Buying school shoes was a flipping nightmare. I used to take him to Brantanos (where they do measure your feet if you ask) and get him to try on everything in stock until he found something that he was comfortable with. Trainers for PE were the worst as school insisted that they had to be white with minimal branding.

And yes, you do have to pay VAT on the wretched things which adds insult to injury!

mimbleandlittlemy · 20/01/2014 12:40

My ds was a 9.5 in shoes and 10 in trainers by the time he left primary school and started Y7 this year as a 10 in shoes and 11 in trainers.

He is currently wearing Clarks bootleg shoes as they go up to a 10 and I find they last well especially as I go in for Chinese foot binding the later in the year it gets... Grin.

Pythonesque · 20/01/2014 13:11

My mother used to tell me she regretted not binding my feet when I was little :) (although, they were so chubby my dad made my first few pairs of shoes himself ...) Alternatively suggest chopping the toes off.

My daughter's year 6 and size 7 / 7 1/2. No surprise, my feet are size 9. Problem with girls is, not just whether you can find age-appropriate shoes, we'll be at "can we find any shoes" stage in a year or two likely enough. And her feet are narrower than mine so wearing men's shoes will be less practical. She has been in boys' school shoes for a couple of years now anyhow as the girls' styles didn't suit or fit.

I'm planning to work with as few pairs of shoes as possible until her feet stop growing. I guess that's easier with girls as not long to wait! Will be different when her younger brother gets older. I'm also considering asking my sister for any shoes she no longer wants as I think her feet are a similar shape to my daughters!

woodrunner · 20/01/2014 14:17

We go to Sports Direct now for non school shoes. You can get very good quality trainers for reasonable prices, even in the mens dept. But it's a big culture shock if you are used to the helpful, knowledgable staff at Clarks. Expect nothing from the staff, then you won't be disappointed.

secretscwirrels · 20/01/2014 15:42

Yes I had an adult sized 11 year old. He went from size 7 to size 10 in year 6, and was over 6' and size 11 by the time he was 13.
(Thankfully he hasn't grown too much since then).
The VAT thing annoyed me as well.
I second Brantanos for a good selection of black school appropriate shoes.
I didn't bother with the measuring ritual after that, just tried lots on.

mimbleandlittlemy · 20/01/2014 16:12

Sorry - I should have said we get Clarks casual shoes when it's sale time and occasionally get Geox in the sale as well but he only has one pair of casual shoes now come hell and high water. I did try Next mens - fine for summer sandals/Converse type canvas shoes but their mens ones are too narrow for Little My's boat feet.

mindgone · 20/01/2014 16:58

Clarks go up to much bigger sizes for school shoes, so we have always gone there for measuring and buying school shoes, then trainers and casual shoes have been mens, and yes, expensive!

TheDetective · 20/01/2014 17:14

Next do boys shoes (their own brand) up to size 8.

Same problem :( Big footed boy here also! Been a nightmare since he got to a size 6. Ridiculous prices, for feet that are still growing!!

Original poster
chocolateVanilla · 20/01/2014 17:18

Sigh. Seems to me there should be a way of claiming the VAT back. After all, its easy to prove both their age and their shoe size.

OP posts:
BombayBunty · 20/01/2014 21:49

My 11 yr old has size9 feet. I've just ordered a pair of Dr Martens Chelsea boots for him. Bit pricey but hopefully they might last a bit longer.
I do hope the school don't object!

RegainingUnconsciousness · 20/01/2014 21:55

I teach a lad with size 14 feet. Adultt 14s!

He's found them difficult to find, but he has found them.

Must be costing his family a fortune!

bigTillyMint · 21/01/2014 06:51

secretscwirrels you say your DS was size 11 by the time he was 13 - same as my DS who is 13 in 2 months. I am hoping DS's feet don't grow too much more! Did your DS's feet stop growing before his height growth stopped? DS is "only" 5'8" ATM, so I think/hope he may get a bit taller yet, but I'm worried about finding massive shoes!

gymboywalton · 21/01/2014 07:53

Regaining, I wonder if you teach my son?
He is 13, is six foot one and has size 14 feet. His school shoes were 70 pound !!!!

He has one pair of school shoes and one pair of trainers. Criteria for choosing shoes is....does it fit? His feet are very narrow too. It's a bit of a nightmare really.

secretscwirrels · 21/01/2014 10:00

bigTillyMint Yes his feet stopped growing first, in fact he is 18 now and still size 11. He grew a little more in height and is 6'1".
I think the "order" of growth in boys is normally; hands and feet, then height, then jaw, then facial hair, then shoulder width and muscle.
I have two boys and the timing their growth patterns have been different although the order was the same.

DS1 as I said was 6' at 12/13.
DS2 on the other hand was still very much a little boy until he was almost 15. His big growth spurt started a year ago and continues..... He is now 6'1" but still growing and I bought him size 12 walking boots last week.