Uniform Policy

[GutsySloth]

My child attends a secondary school, and they recently had nail surgery, when she had it they said said she had to wear trainers for at least 6-12 weeks - 6 probably being the estimated time.
Their toe is still heavily bangaged after 3 weeks, so they are currently wearing converse to their school
The school have a problem with these that they are not all black - they are black concerse, with a white sole, and laces. i sent them erlier this week photos of all the trainers and converse they have.
I spoke to the the people who did her nail surgery and they said they would need to wear sandals or trainers.
The school have spoke to me and said they want me to buy a pair of full black trainers over the weekend to comply with uniform policy - where do i stand saying no to this - i dont have the money to buy a pair of trainers for them to wear for 15 school days, and that they wont wear again.

Any ideas or support would be great

thanks

Can you get the nail clinic to send an email stating that she needs to wear trainers, and forward it on to the relevant staff? if it's a medical reason then my all of my DC's schools issue an exception card.

I don't know the official rules, but guidance is uniform shouldn't be costly for parents and schools should bear in mind costs.

Tell them you're happy for the child to wear black trainers if the school provide these, as you can't afford this for such a short period. They're being ridiculous.

They have a email stating The student must be permitted to wear footwear that does not cause pressure on their surgical site. In some cases, this may mean sandals or trainers.

but i think the issue is more the colour of them

They have said if finances are a concern let them know and they are sure they can help, but i am sure a 13 year old wont wear a plain black of trainers from tesco due to fear of bullying about them

i also think its part of the equality act too to make reasonable adjustments, and i think its purely down to the colour of what they are wearing

I would think there will be pupils wearing plain black school shoes from Tesco, so I dont think that's really a concern (sorry) They are just replacement school shoes.

I think maybe the school will just have to buy black trainers they feel are a fair price buy I think it's a total waste of school funds and they should let the converse be worn.

Surely they have normal PE trainers that aren't converse? Converse do look exceptionally casual. If regular trainers are still too tight, though, you'll just have to explain that. Ask to speak to the next person up if necessary (head of year, head of section, deputy head etc.)

If your teenager can't put up with a pair of cheap black trainers from Tesco for a couple of weeks for medical reasons then you have some serious issues. That is honestly absolutely ridiculous.
It's school, not a fashion show.

I'd never send mine in with labelled trainers, they get ruined.

If school are offering to buy/fund the trainer's and the issue is actually that your DC is a trainer snob then tell your DC they will just have to suck it up.

Plenty of people wear supermarket shoes and a lesson in the reality that money only goes so far isn't a bad thing at 13.

What does she wear for PE? Cant she just wear that?

If it's for a medical reason then that's exactly what she'll have to do.

Converse are tight/fitted. I don’t see how they are any better than normal school shoes tbh.
If you really can’t afford some basic black trainers (that they could continue to wear for PE, outdoor walks ect) ask the school to provide shoes, I’m sure they have some in lost property.

They are making a reasonable adjustment. They are allowed your child to wear trainers instead of school shoes and they are offering financial assistance to facilitate it. Your kid not wanting be seen dead in the sort of shoes that other people wear day in day out is not their problem. You can get black trainers with black soles from Asda for £18.

The school need to make reasonable adjustments based on your dc’s medical condition. However they have offered you an alternative and you don’t want to take it. Teach your child to not care about what other people think. They’re only temporary trainers.

Tie a black poo bag over it..
Schools do have new spare shoes... In my area anyway.
Ds was put in isolation when his school shoes broke. In Covid when shoe shops were all shut.. The teacher insisted I face time from our 3 local supermarkets to prove I had tried to buy some.. I didn't find any . They gave my size 5 ds a pair of size 7's.. If the school is a Trust ringing them direct will be a better method of finding an actual human...

I agree that converse are doing the child's foot no good. They are super restrictive on the toes, as much so as most "school shoes" would be. The whole point of allowing different shoes is meant to be to promote healing and prevent pain.

I agree. I am a lover of converse but they are slim fit shoes, so I don't see how they can be a better fit than what she usually wears?

This is what I was thinking, converse are tight fitting and I wouldn't call them trainers. Not sure how they are any looser than usual school shows? I would have thought if she was wearing actual trainers the school wouldn't be that bothered, just get her to wear her pe trainers or buy a cheap pair from sprits direct.

If she can wear converse she can wear these:
https://www.shoezone.com/Products/Red-Fish-Meru-Womens-Black-Lace-Up-Canvas-Shoe-16692?siz=9&utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=surfaces-across-google&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD0frgr4DD5bDOVBPS7XM6MajwBOs&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzK6J1KaKjAMVRZlQBh2sIDgeEAQYASABEgKLSvD_BwE

or

tuclothing.sainsburys.co.uk/product/tuc143468452?istCompanyId=07cf3c1d-7207-477f-aab0-212732e114dd&istFeedId=03391e81-6312-4095-9322-96087f0115ae&istItemId=lmqltqmww&istBid=t&gclsrc=aw.ds&cmpid=cpc&src=Google&med=Shopping&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=20331211902&utm_term=tuc143468452&utm_content=shopping&utm_custom1=&utm_custom2=825-875-8916&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADCAkB--F2OF2VNbGsbevxK0sfxC3&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzK6J1KaKjAMVRZlQBh2sIDgeEAQYAiABEgIHofD_BwE

The student must be permitted to wear footwear that does not cause pressure on their surgical site. In some cases, this may mean sandals or trainers.

So actually she could wear normal school shoes if they don’t squash her nail?

Kids don’t normally get bullied for wearing ordinary shoes temporarily when everyone knows they have had an operation.

My dc went through secondary with orthopaedic shoes,, a splint and a shoe raise so I am not buying the fuss around this.

So is the issue that you can’t afford the shoes (fair enough and a completely reasonable stance) or that your 13 yr old wants to wear Converse to school?

OP I thought on first glance you’d say that she was getting hassled for wearing something loose like a pair of crocs, but converse? C’mon - they’re not in the least bit helpful to surgery as they’re so slim. If she can wear those, then she can wear cheaper, generic black canvas shoes.

I get that it’s annoying but it’s not a battle worth fighting imo.

Just buy some black trainers and if you can’t afford them then take the school up on their offer.

Agree that if converse can be worn school shoes are surely fine? They are probably the last style of shoe I would think to wear if trying not to restrict my toes post surgery. She has no other trainers than converse?