Girls school shoe advice

[Rudi44]

Hi, I am a school shoe novice as my 11 year old daughter going into yr 7 in Sept has never had a uniform before. She is tall and her feet are a 5 1/2 according to Clarks today (actually they measured her initially as a 6 1/2 but I demanded a recount!). She didn't fit into any of their black shoes.
School uniform policy states black, sensible, plain unembelished. Any suggestions as places other than Clarks we could get nice leather school shoes for her size. I did think about Dr Martins but would worry they would be too heavy all day.
Thanks so much

I think they look like trainers, too!

Normal DM shoes don't and might be more acceptable- providing they have black stitching, not yellow.

Many of our sixth formers wear the bog standard 'been around for years' DM shoes.

At least the brogues will support your dds feet properly unlike the ballet pump types shoes I used to see.

Dd's school they all either wear deakins or ballet flats

Dd was wearing kickers which to my untrained eye look the same as deakins but I noticed she'd stopped wearing them and was wearing the ballet flats she has for weekends

I put this down to it being warm but then it rained and she still wore them

Turns out people had been calling her a skank for wearing kickers -apparently a £6 pair of primark shoes are more socially acceptable than a £50 pair of comfortable shoes that keep your feet dry and stop your back hurting -who'd have thought?!

Awful, plastic cheap shoes are terrible for their feet.

These fall within our school policy?

Leather
Polishable
No contrasting stitching
No visible logo or branding
Admittedly their are some similar shoes which aren't polishable and have tread like trainers and visible brand names/symbols.

My 11 yr old DD has size 6.5 feet and we have found Petasil to be a really good brand. They do some nice brogue styles in a size 39 and 40.

DC schools all the kids wear

Converse
Vans
Nike

Nobody would wear clarks shoes

Some girls wear some ballet pumps on nice days

They are all flat black and laceup - you can't get more sensible for girls

(I ignore the logo because Clarks have logos and they seem acceptable)

Nobody would wear Clark's because they are allowed to wear branded. At DD's school they aren't, so there is no stigma associated with wearing Clark's or any other perceived "uncool" brand, because those are the rules.

DD wouldn't be able to wear Nike, vans etc. They need to be proper shoes. I am keen on the brogue style but need to make sure that they don't have toes that are too pointed as she says these are uncomfortable. These are literally the first shoes she has has since a toddler, she's had winter boots and sandles but has had no uniform or restrictions in primary.

Just going into year 7 too here - school shoes of DD's choice were these.

Cheapest place was Amazon £40 from memory. She always has Geox shoes for school, they last and wear really well.

Still haven't WTHT but saw your comment on size, they go up to 41, DD is in a 40. Her current school shoes are the brogues Alexander has listed a photo of, they have lasted a year.

My DDs just left year 11 and just going into y11 both have those Clarks shoes never had any issues I'm aware of. But they also tend not to give a shit what others think and are defiantly in the uncool / geek sets and laugh at the one upmanship of "cool" kids.

And every kid at their school have rucksacks.

What I'm saying at their school the policy states 'No visible logos' so example Vans have a small tag logo in the side - however Clarks shoes are allowed - EVEN though that have the same sized logo on the side - it's a ridiculous policy

DD has Startrite Burfords (she has to wear orthotic insoles as she is extremely hypermobile - useful for her dancing, less great for her ankle health - so has a limited choice of styles). Bought from Russell and Bromley. A little more expensive than Clarks but last more than twice as long so better value per wear. lso better quality leather, so polish up more easily if scuffed / worn.

Like these

School has a policy of back leather, must be fully polishable so no patent, low heeled, lace up or strap required so no ballet flats, no trainers, no canvas.

They're great. Last a year of walking 2 miles a day to and fro, as well as general wear and tear. Her school's norm is to wear brogues with tights in the inter, the same with trainer socks in the summer - which I think looks odd with a skirt, but it's what everyone does. DD usually goes through the sole before the top decays.

My dd went to a secondary school with a very strict shoe policy too. When she was 11 she was 5' 8" and wore a size 8 1/2. She had Clarks shoes and so did quite a few others in her year.

If it says no logo on the uniform list for shoes, do you think the label on these would need to be cut off or not? m.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10701_10001_231010766060_-1
I assume the imprinted bit in the leather is ok as Clarks has that??

You see this is what I object too -

Why is Clarks an acceptable brand even with label - but Vans aren't? Smaller hidden label?

I don't see why schools need to dictate these tiny rules

Flat black shoes are flat black shoes - weather appropriate

Presumably because Vans are a plimsoll, not a shoe, and all the ones I could find on the website at the moment are canvas (obvs not polishable) and on most styles the branding is larger and at more of a contrast than on shoes (it's more like trainer branding)

Try Russell and Bromley - they go up to 5.5 in children's shoes. There is a sale on right now. If she grows out of them too quickly you can always eBay them.

Flat black shoes are flat black shoes - weather appropriate

Flat, all black, leather shoes are the usual school uniform requirement - I can't find any vans which have all-leather uppers? Canvas isn't all that much use when you walk a mile to school in all weathers and then walk all day round an open site?

I wear Converse in the summer, and when it's dry / not muddy. I wear polishable black leather shoes in the winter, because I don't like wet feet. it;'s not about the branding - it's about the material.

Yes, theer are som 'branding' objections, usually because the branded alternatives are SO much more expensive than similar non-branded shoes and it sets up all kinds of difficult dynamics.

Green, i seem to recall that you said yourself that there is shoe-brand based teasing/bullying going on at your school - it's pretty much unknown at the DC's, because nobody can wear branded gear (or at least nothing that is remotely obviously branded), so nobody can tell in order to tease...

Do clarks have an actual label on them? I thought it was just the name embossed onto the leather

We use a water repellent in them - keeps feet dry in winter

Yes some kids get teased - but my kids like the Vans and converse - they're practical - I was an 80's kid and we wore heels!

No polish requirement here

Doc Martin parade shoes are brilliant for school - so hard wearing and completely plain.

they're practical

Tbh, not as practical as plain black leather brogues, which is what virtually all DD's friends wear - I don't know of any local schools that don't specify all-leather, though a couple do allow patent so not polishable.

Also vans/converse give zero support to the arch of the foot which can lead to serious problems.