Help me find the seemingly impossible footwear for secondary school that meets the following requirements!!

[frolicsandfiddledeedees]

DD is starting high school in September.

She has to wear flat shoes or ankle boots that are plain black polishable leather with no buckles/studs/fluffy bits etc and no decorative anything. Laces are acceptable but she'd prefer no to have to bother with them if possible.

She also has to walk nearly a mile along a public footpath over fields to get to the school bus every day. So whatever she wears needs to be waterproof to some degree and also to have a decent grip on the soles.

No lockers at school so she will need to wear them all day - so our original plan of travelling there and back in wellies and keeping her school shoes in her locker to change into (as she has done for years at primary) is not going to work!

Suggestions anyone?

In very similar circumstances, my dd wore these from year 8 onwards. They were expensive, but lasted incredibly well, were very comfortable, and she is still wearing her last pair occasionally and she stopped wearing uniform two years ago!

Thy also look OK with a skirt in case she discovers that "nobody" wears trousers.

'Butch' shoes?

Agree with Hakluyt. School had the same almost impossible requirements and DD had a lot of walking to get to school. By about Yr 10 many girls had given up on fashion and the Clarkes shoes had effectively become the Uniform. They looked fine with the standard very rolled up skirt and black tights. We bought a couple of pairs each time in case we could not find them again. Useful as she now needs black shoes, suitable for a lot of standing, for her summer job.

No trainers permitted.

Don't think any of the brogue type shoes suggested have got good enough soles to be suitable. Luckily DD isn't remotely bothered about fashion, though of course I know that could change very soon!

What does anyone think of the Tuffa boots she wants?

Things is though it's not just a lot of walking, it's quite literally cross country walking. The footpath goes over two sheep fields, a stile, then a half mile of dirt track, then along the lane to the bus stop. And it's either steep down or up hill depending on which end of the day.

So they need to have a proper sole, with proper grip. Anything with a smooth sole is no good. The footpath is one that proper hikers go up and down daily using hiking poles!

Had you considered asking the school if there is somewhere she could leave a pair of wellies or walking boots during the day? Talk to the office about it. Because it sounds as if she's going to need waterproof trousers as well........

I'm with Hakluyt. I can't really see any pair of shoes or boots being suitable for wearing to walk a mile through a muddy field, then to wear at school all day. The best option would surely be for her to be able to change them at school?

If they don't have the facility for her to do that immediately, they might do after she's traipsed mud around the school for a few days...

OP those boots are exactly what my daughter wants to wear to school but they are not allowed any boots at all. In the middle of winter they are expected to walk a considerable distance in plain black pump style shoes. We have a nightmare finding any that fit and this year have gone through 3 pairs already although her size hasn't changed.

Isn't there any other way to school? Pavement route or a bus or something? Starting each day with proper muddy hiking doen't sound ideal at all. Sounds like she will need hiking boots, waterproofs, the works , will arrive at school covered in mud with nowhere to put all her muddied clothes.

And I know you must have- but you have thought about her doing this walk in the dark, haven't you?

In the dark, with a bag of books and a euphonium?

Elephants: round here they all wear the classic kick hi boots or the kick lo shoes. The girls wear them with black tights & shortish school skirts.

My DD1 wears Jones Bootmaker Melissa lace ups. They are good substantial brogues, more like a boys pair of shoes and far better then the Clarks ones which she had before.

Lol @euphonium! It's true though, they have all kinds of crap to carry and lots of schools encourage year 7s into taking up tuba or the like. I used to tie my French horn to the front of my bike! I still cycle to work and carrying everything still presents logistical problems, though I don't any longer need to take the French horn in, thankfully. Really feel for your daughter if the hike is as challenging as it sounds. I really think you might need to rethink her route to school. Muddy hiking in the dark for an 11 year old sounds awful.

Frolics, your daughter might hate me forever, but these have great grip and come in black polishable leather.

They cost an arm and two legs though. And they are worn by middle-aged women with wide feet like me.

We too have to contend with PE kits plus inconvenient instruments, Hakluyt. I think there's a reason DS's lessons were at a discount -- no one else was daft enough to play the tuba.

frolics is there any way that she could cycle on a safe route to the bus stop?

In the very worst weather she can either get a lift to the bus stop from me, or she can walk the slightly longer way down the drive but that's still a muddy dirt track.

She's been doing this walk since yr 2 and is fine with it, it's just that at primary she had a locker so could walk in wellies and change at school but at the high school there isn't such provision. She will be leaving at 8 and home by 4 every day so shouldn't be dark even in winter and of necessary I can drive her. But when there's a free bus service I'm not driving every day.

Fact is we live at the end of a long farm track up a bloody big hill. There's no cycle route, no pavement, etc. This be the countryside! But the schools should be allowing for that. It's a rural area. Loads of the kids will live on farms but I suppose a lot of them will just get driven there and back every day. I'm not in a position to do that though!

Asdas usually the best. If not look at john lewis as others have suggested.
Are you sure that all the kids at the school follow the foot wear rules? If they don't then you might have a little but of lea way. I would check before you panik

Dd3 has had these this year.

The insole comes out for her orthotics too if anyone is still looking for something suitable

Ooopps forgot to do the link

www.liquoricelaces.co.uk/petasil-peel-school-shoe/p1361