No polishable school shoes = no school

[Runningforfun]

ds has been home edded for the past few months whilst we sort out a school that is right for him. He is in year 7.

We found a school, it has places. We bought the uniform and at the final interview we got a start date.

But then after spotting what he had on his feet I was told that he needed to wear polishable black shoes. He wears all black trainers. A particular style that he has worn for school since he was in reception. these are the only things that fit him. He has a very high instep with a H+ width fitting. He is off the scale in Clarks. His feet resemble rectangular blocks with toes on the end. We even looked at and tried on Men's size 7 shoes, ds is a 5.5 but because men's shoes do not come in width fittings, the standard width fitting is too narrow.

The problem is the school refuse to let him in if he wears his trainers but no normal shoe fits him. I have spent days going up and down Oxford Street, and around every shoe shop in various shopping centres and I am at a loss as to what to do.

Any one else know what to do in this situation. Can a school really stop him from going to school because he physically cannot get a particular style of shoe on his feet.

[Runningforfun]

My one fear is that the particular shoe brand and shoe style he wears now and has worn since he was in reception will suddenly cease.

I have not even got started on football boots and football socks. He had to give up football when they insisted he had to wear football boots and i need an all in wrestler to try and tackle getting football socks on him.

[Impatientismymiddlename]

My son has always been off the scale widthways. Neither clarks nor startrites make shoes wide enough. The shoe shops advise going up a size to accommodate the additional width but that just means that the shoes don't fit properly.
I have ordered Piedro shoes in the past. Approx £130 for boots or trainers and a bit less for shoes. They are designed for the NHS to take orthotics so are extra wide. They are the only ones that I could get to fit properly for the first 6 years of my son being at school.
My son is now in adult sized shoes and it is much easier to get something wide enough (although still very difficult in comparison to my other standard sized foot child).
Tk maxx are also worth a look as they often have in all kinds of random extra wide shoes.

[rootypig]

Waffle your argument from individual variation or characteristic is fallacious because there is an acceptable, workable alternative for the OP. The polishability of shoes is not inherent to the function that they perform. All of the other examples you give make the difference between a dichotomy that does not exist here (see/not see, suffer hayfever/not suffer, bleed all over the carpet/not). In short, they are essential in some way.

Though for each example you give, there are more and less expensive alternatives to choose between, and people expect to be able to do that. So , the law insists that you have corrected vision, but does not prescribe the type of glasses that you wear (I would suggest that there are cheaper pairs available than you are choosing to buy....). So the analogy is actually with a school insisting that a child wear shoes (because the reason is functional, eg for the protection of their feet, rather than aesthetic).

Of course you are entitled to argue that uniform rules should apply to everyone regardless. But the arguments you give from individual variation do not support this iteration as you think that they do.

[LtEveDallas]

Why should I have to pay 400 for a pair of glasses that are not the right prescription in a years time?

Those are some damn expensive glasses, mine cost 60. But anyway, your glasses mean you are able to see, able to do your job properly, able to drive safely etc. Wearing 'polishable' shoes wont make a blind bit of difference to OPs sons ability to be at school, to learn, to do exams, to graduate. In fact, from what the OP says, he would be in pain if he was forced to wear badly fitting shoes, so actually it would make things worse.

As long as they are plain black, I cannot see that it matters what material they are made of.

[tethersend]

Is this a state school?

Has a place been offered and accepted?

If so, this is an illegal exclusion and should be challenged.

Was the interview before or after the place was offered? Interviewing candidates before offering a place contravenes the admissions code.

[rootypig]

Sorry, that is the law insists you have corrected vision to drive

[MackerelOfFact]

Would something like this work? They're for people with swollen or bandaged feet, but they look pretty adjustable and she should be able to get his toes to the end.

[MackerelOfFact]

They're all HH+ and there are loads of other styles but those looked the least grandaddy!

[AMumInScotland]

Wider Fit website start from a size 6 in mens shoes, that might be an option? They also have a fitting guide so that you have a reasonable chance of getting the right size without having to try them on. And they'll swap if they're not right.

www.widerfitshoes.co.uk/mens///6.0/*/Blacks/0000

[CMOTDibbler]

I'd try these - I buy shoes for my dad from the same manufacturer, and his feet are massively swollen and they fit beautifully.

[threepiecesuite]

I understand and support all of the points raised here, but where I work, if it's not polishable shoes that are enforced, then children come in in scruffy black Nike Air Maxs which cost upwards of £120 and it becomes a competition.

[tethersend]

It's not the shoes which concern me, it's the possible interview for a place and the subsequent exclusion (assuming a place has been offered and accepted) which is illegal unless a letter has been sent home stating the length and reasons for exclusion, and a date for a return from exclusion meeting.

Sending children home for uniform violations is no longer legal.

[Agggghast]

If the school require this you would need to get a medical note to justify an exemption from a clear uniform policy. Also with your DS joining so late in the academic year do you really want him to stand out and create resentment amongst the other pupils who cannot wear trainers?

[rootypig]

child 1: why can you wear trainers?
OP's DS: I've got strangely shaped feet
child 1: oh right

I'm sure if the trainers are sufficiently naff they won't give a bollocks.

[ethelb]

www.widerfitshoes.co.uk/S-Hailsham/style947/0/0/80004B_l.jpg/Brown/80004B_l.jpg

The 6e seems to be for v wide feet

[Kif]

waffle children get free glasses

[Runningforfun]

It is a state school and the place was offered by county but then I and ds had to go for "an interview" their words not mine.

It was more a discussion about where he was academically and what his interests were. They also kitted him out with the basics of his uniform. They sold the uniform on site. It was during the discussion that what he was wearing on his feet was noted and when I tried to tell them that he didn't fit into normal shoes I got the impression that not only weren't they listening but thought I was overstating the problem and that I just hadn't tried hard enough. I was told to go to Clarkes where I would find a pair that looked like the shoes he had on.

We found the pair but I knew immediately that they wouldn't fit and when they got his size they didn't. We even tried 1 1/2 sizes more but no joy.

Everyone points to the high instep being the bit near the top of the foot by the leg but his instep starts around the end of his toes.

Waffle £400 for glasses!!!!! Mine came from Goggles for u and were -£2

They were a $20 pair but I found a voucher code for $20 online. The P&p was about $5 and as I ordered through Quidco, a cashback site, I got £5 back.

Also just saying everyone has to wear the same end of story will not get my ds's feet to fit into shoes. How by saying that does that help?

Both him and I would dearly love on days like today for him to be able to fit his feet into sandals, flip flops or crocs but they don't.

[tethersend]

You need to go back to the school and explain that he will be attending until you are able to find a pair of shoes which will fit. If the place has been offered then he needs to start, and a refusal on the part of the school to let him constitutes an illegal exclusion.

[Bunbaker]

But if he does become a solicitor or accountant he would be able to afford custom made shoes.

I don't have any useful advice other than to suggest contacting the school to say that there are literally no formal shoes that fit his feet and perhaps he should go in bare feet instead

DD's school has strict rules about footwear as well, but if DD had feet that couldn't be shod I would try very hard to present my case, even getting a letter from a podiatrist or other medical professional if necessary.

[Agggghast]

At our school we have a pupil who recently had surgery on his foot so supported by his medical note he is allowed to wear trainer style shoes with no logo. However 12 year olds are not as rational as rootypig seems to think and did cause some awkwardness for the pupil concerned. I would speak to your GP to see if he/she can help.

[BikeRunSki]

Conker in Totnes make hand made shoes, and will do a bespoke service. Their shoes are leather and there is a choice of colours (including black!) and soles.

[steppemum]

I would wrote a list of the shoes you have tried and which don't fit, and ask if they have any other suggestions

[notapizzaeater]

This is my son, I've really struggled this time and out of desperation ended up in a windstorms world of shoes. I found some men's wide fitting shoes which amazingly fitted him and they where £15 as well. Cheapest shoes I've ever bought him and a perfect fit.

[notapizzaeater]

Wyndsors world of shoes - bloody auto correct

[UniS]

www.theshoesnobblog.com/2012/08/foot-versus-shoe-style.html interesting blog article including shoe style yay and nay for different shape feet.

OP sounds like your lad would be fine in girls shoes, its the current trend for boys shoes to have a much more closed top than girls thats such a bind. Old school T bar sandals ( in leather) like my brother wore 35 years ago would work fine.